The apex umbrella body of all Yoruba indigenous people, Yoruba Council Worldwide, YCW, has described the bid to embark on strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, over the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government as an act of economic sabotage.
The group, in a statement issued by its President, Aare (Oba) Oladotun Hassan (Esq) and made available to Sunday Vanguard, said it was aghast to see Joe Ajaero and Emmanuel Ugboaja led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLS) to have declared strike action via a trending circulated letter dated June 2, 2023, to commence strike action on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, against President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led Federal Government on the removal of the fuel subsidy in the wake of the inauguration on May 29, 2023.
The statement read: “Based on evidence at our disposal, the proposed NLC planned strike is an act of economic sabotage, calculated at truncating the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consequently amounting to Double standards and Treasonable felony.”
“We are equally surprised to see the ill-motivated chaotic action to picket CBN offices nationwide and not NNPCL if even genuine as a deliberate premeditated ploy of the Labour Party manifested to cause monumental havocs, considering the siemese political affinity and negative positions of NLC and Labour Party at the last Presidential election, and their earlier treacherous declarations led by the Labour Party’s Vice Presidential candidate Datti Baba Ahmed to make the current government ungovernable.”
“Surprisingly, this is the same political campaign Agenda of the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate Peter Obi to remove and scrap fuel subsidies immediately if elected, so what has changed?”
“It is highly hypocritical to see the Labour Union Leaders and their ilk involved in such deceitfully clandestine and criminally crafted plans, considering the purveyors of the strike action who are mainly hardcore “Obidients” using the sentiments of the current economic situation to orchestrate the ill-motivated chaotic total shutting down of the economy.”
“It is on this premise we call on all law enforcement agencies, particularly the DSS to stop any act of NLC declared protests, for this is a dangerous prescription to nosedive the ship of government and throw the country into abyss.”
“We hereby serve as a note of warning to the Nigeria Labour Congress and all her affiliates to desist from this political grandstanding evil machinations to disrupt the wheel of progress of governance predicated on the successful start of a renewed hope agenda.”
“While we use this medium to call on all Nigerians to continue to support and rally around the new administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima led Federal Government, based on their genuine robust plans to positively reposition the Oil and Gas industry and strategically grow the economy in the overall interest of the greatest number.”
“Besides, NLC and TUC leaders knew since last year November that the subsidy will be scrapped from July 1 as no provision has been made in the budget for it, beyond this date. The Federal Government which already commits 96 per cent of its revenue in servicing debt is not in any position to continue selling subsidised fuel, most of which is smuggled across our borders for criminal and obscenely unpatriotic profit.”
“Subsidy of fuel is the most fraudulent decoy to plunge the nation into the bottomless pit of hell and economically NO longer sustainable as the Federal Government is virtually broke. Apart from its N77 trillion debt, it also owes the NNPC Limited about N2.4 trillion for past subsidies,” YCW said.