Ayuba Wabba, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has warned the Nigerian government against heeding the advice of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, on removal of fuel subsidy.
The labour leader gave the warning during the NLC Delegates Conference in Abuja, on Thursday.
He said: “We wish to caution the government against contemplating any further increase in the price of refined petroleum products, especially the premium motor spirit, PMS.
“We understand that the IMF has advised the Federal Government to remove the so-called ‘petrol subsidy’ which is a euphemism for increase in the pump price of petrol. This advice is ill-will and completely insensitive to the suffering of most Nigerians.”
He also warned the government against raising the Value Added Tax, VAT. According to him, an increased VAT and subsidy removal would erode the gains of the new minimum wage.
Wabba urged workers not to see the pay rise as a gift, and implored employers to immediately begin implementation.
According to him, the argument of whether or not states can implement the pay has been laid to rest. He urged the states to cut down on the cost of governance to conserve resources for the implementation.
