FUEL PRICE HIKE: TINUBU’S NEOLIBERAL POLICIES INCREASING THE SUFFERING OF THE WORKING MASSES

The NLC and TUC Must Mobilise against the Continuous Increase in the Cost of Living

In just three weeks, the price of petrol has consistently increased from ₦1,165 to ₦1,400, amounting to approximately 20 percent. This should be unacceptable in a leading oil-producing country in the world. The continuous neglect of the survival of the mass of working people in the hands of neoliberal policies dictated by multilateral corporations like the IMF and World Bank has left the country and its working people much more vulnerable. With millions of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, this increase in fuel prices will further compound the living conditions of the people.

The Movement for a Socialist Alternative (MSA) condemn the alarming exploitation of Nigerians under this Tinubu regime. Every increase in the price of crude oil in the international market is used to justify an increase in the price of petrol in the country. But when the price of crude oil drops, as witnessed in June when it fell to $80 a barrel, the price of petrol never dropped. The excuse from the capitalist exploiters is that they already have enough stock. This exploitation can only be challenged by the masses who are feeling the pain of these exploitations.

The ruling elites have never been bothered about the masses. President Tinubu is currently on vacation abroad, while the government remains unbothered on the increased cost of living. The working masses continue to struggle with the rising prices of food, transportation, electricity, and other essential commodities.

The incessant increase in the price of petrol is not an isolated issue. It is part of the broader neoliberal economic policies being implemented by the Tinubu regime, which place the burden of economic adjustment on the working people while protecting the interests of big business and wealthy individuals. The so-called economic reforms have continued to expose the working masses to unbearable economic hardship, while the ruling class continues to enjoy the benefits of the country’s wealth and resources.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) cannot continue to remain silent or limit their response to issuing statements. The MSA urges labour to mobilise the working mass to condemn the ongoing exploitation and relentless increase in the cost of energy.

The working masses have suffered immensely from the so-called (neoliberal) reforms of the Tinubu government. More people have fallen below the poverty line as the cost of living has skyrocketed, with the current meagre minimum wage unable to cater adequately for the living conditions of the masses.

The labour unions must demand an affordable cost of petrol that reflects the real value of the minimum wage, such that workers can afford their basic needs and survive. It is mind-boggling how workers have survived this regime of higher living costs, where, in three years under this regime, the price of petrol has gone up from ₦197 to ₦1,400, amounting to over 600 percent.

The Working Masses Cannot Continue To Pay For The Crisis Of Capitalism

The continuous increase in fuel prices has exposed the contradictions of Nigeria’s capitalist economy. Nigeria is a country blessed with enormous natural resources, including crude oil, yet the working people are forced to pay more for petrol and other essential commodities.

The argument that fuel-price increases are necessary to save government revenue or attract investment does not and cannot address the immediate reality of the working masses. Workers, students, traders, farmers, artisans, and small business owners are already struggling to survive. Every unit increase in the price of petrol has a direct impact on the cost of transportation, food, education, healthcare, and other basic needs.

The government has repeatedly presented neoliberal reforms as necessary steps towards economic recovery. However, the working masses have continued to experience worsening living conditions. The removal of fuel subsidies or rather increase in fuel price, the devaluation of the naira, and the continuous increase in the prices of essential commodities have placed an enormous burden on ordinary Nigerians, and that is what the labour unions must fight against.

The question that must be asked is, who benefits from these reforms, and who pays for them?

While the working masses are asked to make sacrifices, the wealthy continue to enjoy access to enormous wealth and privileges. The ruling class has shown little willingness to place the interests of the working people above the interests of private capital.

This is why the struggle against fuel-price increases cannot be separated from the bigger struggle against capitalist exploitation. The working masses must begin to question an economic system that places profit before human needs.

The NLC and TUC Must Take The Lead

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have a responsibility to defend the interests of the working masses. Issuing statements alone will not stop the continuous increase in fuel prices or the growing hardship faced by workers and poor Nigerians.

The labour unions must mobilise workers, students, traders, artisans, and other sections of the working population to demand an immediate reversal of policies that deepen poverty and hardship.

The unions must demand:

• An affordable and accessible price of petrol that reflects the income and living conditions of workers.
• the immediate rehabilitation and full functioning of all government-owned refineries to ensure the local refining of crude oil and the provision of affordable petrol for the working masses.
• An end to the continuous increase in the cost of energy and other essential commodities.
• A living wage that can adequately meet the basic needs of workers and their families.
• Democratic workers control and accountability over the country’s oil resources.
• An end to the implementation of neoliberal policies that place the burden of economic crisis on the working masses.

Signed

A.j Dagga Tolar

General Secretary, MSA

daggatolar@yahoo.com