NLC and TUC Must Move Beyond Statements and Organise Mass Resistance Against Profiteering, Exploitation, and the Cost-of-Living Crisis

PRESS RELEASE

The capitalist regime of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues to make life increasingly unbearable for the working people and poor masses of Nigeria. From the rising price of cooking gas (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) to the escalating cost of petrol, electricity tariffs, transportation, and basic commodities, millions of Nigerians are being pushed deeper into poverty and hardship.

The working masses have rarely experienced this kind of economic misery currently confronting the country. Yet, despite the extraordinary increase in the cost of living, workers’ wages remain stagnant and grossly inadequate. The meagre ₦70,000 minimum wage, which many state governments are yet to fully implement, has already been eroded by inflation and the continuous rise in the prices of essential goods and services.

Across the country, the price of cooking gas has risen by well over 75 percent without any convincing explanation. While the Tinubu government attempts to shift the blame to hoarders, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the agency responsible for regulating the petroleum sector, has instead pointed accusing fingers at wholesalers and retailers for charging what it described as “non-cost reflective prices.”

We in the Solidarity Network for Workers Rights (SNWR) strongly condemn the continued exploitation of ordinary Nigerians. The series of anti-poor attacks being unleashed by this regime has assumed a dangerous dimension. At a time when millions are struggling to afford food, transportation, rent, healthcare, and education, profiteers are being allowed to make huge gains at the expense of the suffering majority.

Moreover, even the NMDPRA has acknowledged that consumers across the country are paying far above the established pricing benchmarks. The agency noted that cooking gas is currently selling between ₦1,600 and ₦2,100 per kilogram, despite the indicative price range being between N1,018 and N1,177 per kilogram. This official admission exposes the extent of profiteering and market manipulation taking place in the sector.

Yet, despite these revelations, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) remains largely passive. We call on both labour centres to wake from their slumber and match their public statements with concrete action. The continued inaction of the trade union leadership is one of the reasons why the Nigerian masses continue to face relentless capitalist attacks without a coordinated resistance.

The same pattern of exploitation can be seen in the petroleum sector. Following the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, global crude oil prices declined to around $73 to $78 per barrel. However, petrol prices in Nigeria have not fallen correspondingly. Whenever international crude oil prices rise, marketers and distributors are quick to increase pump prices. Yet when prices decline globally, the reductions are either delayed or completely ignored in order to expolit Nigerians.

Before the Middle East conflict, Brent crude oil traded at approximately $70 to $72 per barrel, while petrol sold between N820 and N874 per litre in Nigeria. The refusal of marketers and the government to ensure a corresponding reduction in pump prices despite the decline in crude oil prices shows the exploitative character of the current system.

This situation further exposes the fraud behind the so-called deregulation of the petroleum sector. Under this arrangement, profits are privatised while the burdens are transferred to workers and poor people. The interests of big businesses, marketers, and wealthy investors are placed above the needs of ordinary Nigerians.

The working masses cannot continue to bear the burden of a crisis they did not create. We therefore call on the NLC and TUC to immediately begin mobilising workers, youths, and communities for mass actions against rising fuel prices, soaring cooking gas prices, outrageous electricity tariffs, and the general deterioration in living conditions.

The struggle against hardship cannot be won through appeals and press statements alone. It requires organised mass action capable of challenging the anti-poor policies of the Tinubu regime and the capitalist interests that profit from the suffering of the people.

SNWR maintains that the root cause of these recurring crises lies in a capitalist system that places profit above human needs. What is required is a socialist alternative based on democratic public ownership and control of the commanding heights of the economy, including the oil and gas sector, electricity, and other strategic industries. Only through a democratically planned economy, run in the interests of workers and the poor, can Nigeria’s vast resources be used to guarantee affordable energy, decent jobs, quality public services, and a dignified life for all.

Signed

Lateef Adams

Secretary, SNWR