•Reps, NLC, NBA, students reject electricity tariff hike, lament rising inflation

•Queues worsen gridlock, commuters stranded, more vessels discharge PMS

As Nigerian workers commemorate the 2024 May Day on Wednesday (today), organised labour has expressed concern about the rising food prices and fuel scarcity in the country, saying the current situation threatens workers’ survival.

The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress leaders, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Tuesday, lamented the harsh economic situation which had been compounded by the twin burdens of the electricity tariff hike and high fuel pump prices.

As the unions expressed concern about the economic  hardship, queues at fuel stations worsened on Tuesday as a result of petrol scarcity. Many workers and students, who could not get to their destinations, were stranded.

Lamenting the high prices of food, labour leaders said workers were finding it difficult to make ends meet.

The prices of basic food commodities such as rice, beans, maize, plantain, and tomatoes surged by 25.34 per cent to 40.01 per cent as of March 2024.

Amidst the economic hardship, the government increased the tariff to be paid on electricity by 603 per cent to N225 per kilowatts.

The unions bemoaned how inflation and government policies had worsened the lot of workers across the country as the House of Representatives, Nigerian Bar Association and the National Association of Nigerian Students rejected the increase in electricity tariff.

This year’s Workers’ Day celebration comes in the face of rising inflation and biting fuel scarcity in many parts of the nation coupled with the minimum wage which has remained stagnant at the same level despite the high cost of living in the country.

The labour leaders in Ekiti State said it was a miracle workers were surviving under the present economic reality, citing the inflation, poverty rate, electricity tariff and high fuel prices.

The TUC Chairman, Sola Adigun, said, “The survival of workers and Nigerians as a whole under the present economic hardship and reality is a miracle; That Nigerian workers could survive and still find ways of going to offices, doing their work; I think it takes God’s miracle to do that.

“I want to say that the present economic situation, poverty level, removal of fuel subsidy, the galloping food inflation in the country are threats to the existence of an average Nigerian vis a vis workers. They are threats to our existence and comfort.”

The TUC chairman, however, said that despite the threats “Nigerian workers have a lot of causes to celebrate. We have reasons to celebrate.

“That we can still survive all these untoward situations is worth celebrating. That you and I are still alive in this country called Nigeria despite all these is worth celebration; That we have opportunities to ask our employers without fear of being arrested, without intimidation, is worth being celebrated.’’

Adigun appreciated the liberty and other constitutional rights enjoyed by workers in the country.

“If you compare the present situation, though we are complaining about the inflation, poverty level, etc, by tomorrow (May 1), in all states across the country, labour leaders will stand up and demand and make complaints.

“I want to tell you, we are so sure that the labour leaders will do all these without being threatened. Some years ago, such could not happen.

“With that, it is worth celebrating although the economic reality, poverty level, rising inflation, increasing fuel prices are not good elements of celebrating Nigerian workers,” the labour leader said.

Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, Ibrahim Fika, Secretary of NLC in Gombe said that the hardship had been worsened by the government policies.

He said, “Your take home doesn’t take workers home. There is a high cost of living going by the inflation, and high electricity tariff. The fuel hike is terrible. Fuel is not available. We bought for about N1,000 across filling stations it’s more in the black market.”

‘Feeding difficult’

The Chairman of the TUC, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Dominic Abang, lamented the inflationary trend in the country, saying Nigerian workers were poorer due to the high inflation, which he said had eroded the value of the minimum wage.

He said the workers’ salaries could not pay for their health, food and transportation needs.

He argued, “The effect of inflation on the workers is very glaring; the value of the N30 000 minimum wage has been eroded by inflation. The current value of that money cannot even buy anything and you know that the removal of oil subsidy has caused escalation of prices of food and transportation.

“The depreciation of the naira has increased the poverty rate among workers because the money we earn as salary cannot even pay for our healthcare needs, transportation or feed us talk less of electricity tariffs that have been increased. So, on a general note, the workers are poorer now than they used to be because of high inflation.

On how it would affect the May Day celebration, Abang said, “As usual, we will gather but most of our workers who are living outside the state capital may not be able to fuel their cars to come for the celebration.

“Some cannot even buy drugs to keep healthy. So, it’s going to be by the grace of God that we would have the kind of attendance that we used to have before.

The NLC in Anambra State insisted that the workers had nothing to celebrate due to the high poverty rate and high inflation which had worsened their living conditions.

Speaking to one of our correspondents on the telephone, the state Publicity Secretary of the NLC, Emeka Obiora, lamented that the living conditions of workers had continued to worsen daily without the relevant authorities doing anything impactful to alleviate the situation.

Obiora said, “Workers have nothing tangible to celebrate. Unfortunately, this appears to be the worst moment for workers and many households in terms of welfare, living conditions and economic power, unlike it was three to four years ago.

“Many workers have been plunged into poverty. This is because before they receive their monthly salaries, they must have exhausted it on purchasing food and other basic needs on credit. Our purchasing powers keep depreciating daily.

“The high inflation, electricity tariff and fuel prices today are not what it used to be five years ago, yet, workers’ salaries are not increasing in commensurate proportion with the trend of inflation. Our living conditions are being threatened as most workers can no longer afford basic household needs.’’

Making a case for a high minimum wage, the labour leader stated, “Workers in Anambra State used to get additional N12,000 on top of our salaries, but the state government had stopped it. Our income can no longer take us home anymore.  It is spent before it comes; many of us live on borrowing for the larger part of the month.

“The development is not palatable at all. The state government and in fact, the state governments in the South-East should consider nothing less than N240,000 as a minimum wage.”

The Chairman of the NLC in Niger State, Idrees Lafene, asserted that the workers were worst-hit by the economic crunch.

He decried the plight of the state’s workforce, suggesting that the workers should shun the May Day celebration given the hardship they were facing.

“How do we begin to assess the poverty rate, inflation, electricity tariff and fuel price? Things have gone bad. The cost of living has continued to go up. The workers have been the worst for it.

“Sure, it has threatened the survival of workers. They can hardly make ends meet and this has affected their morale but the May Day celebration must hold even though the workers are not happy with the current situation,” Lafene said.

Some workers in Minna, the state capital, also expressed their displeasure with the state of things in the country, saying that the present government might not have any solution to the country’s problems.

Bleak future

Danjuma Tanko pessimistically said the Nigerian workers had a bleak future, noting that the leaders had failed to get the economy working.

“This government came and the only agenda was to remove every subsidy the common man was relying on to make any meaning in life. Now, everything has been removed including electricity and fuel subsidies.

“They claim it was the rich people that were benefitting from these subsidies. But it is now obvious that these subsidies were the only things the common man was depending on.

“We, the workers have lost everything. This country is for only the rich and ruling class. May Day is for us to take a day off to think about how the leaders have abused and made our lives miserable.

“Now we cannot feed our families. We cannot send our children to school or even go to work. What kind of life is this?” Tanko lamented.

Like their counterparts in other states, the workers in Delta State have lamented the difficulty currently facing them as a result of the hikes in prices of fuel and food.

“What are we celebrating? Poverty, hardship or what?  The situation is affecting us.  We can no longer afford our children’s school fees or house rent.

“We are begging Governor Sheriff Oborevweri to please help us. Go to the market, you will understand what we are going through,” Mr Monday Okolie said.

Speaking on the situation, the National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Mohammed Ibrahim, stressed the need for swift action on the minimum wage negotiation.

He stated, “We are talking about minimum wage now. The one that was approved, the N30,000 has elapsed since April 18. Any serious government would have made sure that before the elapsing of that one, a new one should have been on the ground.

“We have May Day on Wednesday. Nobody can tell you whether the government is ready with anything to offer. If you want to curb corruption in the civil service, you must cater for the civil servants.

“You must make sure their lives are easier, they are protected and they have access to municipal services: Water, electricity, security, transportation, healthcare, and all these. Provide these and you’ll see the magic from the civil servants,” he said.

Bank workers lament

The President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions Employees, Mr Anthony Abakpa, said,  “The current economic situation is biting very hard the common people, especially the vulnerable and the Nigerian workers. Honestly, and that is why we are appealing to the Federal Government to intervene.”

Abakpa noted that there was a need for intervention in electricity tariff, and subsidy removal, noting that the cost of living was very high.

According to him, since the removal of fuel subsidy, the lives of  Nigerians have not remained the same.

“Today, the cost of transportation has skyrocketed; the transport fare of N200 is now N700. Some workers remain behind in their offices till the next day, not because of the love of their jobs. They cannot afford the high cost of transportation,’’ he noted.

He called on the government to look at the welfare of the people and make sure that basic needs are affordable.

Speaking on the minimum wage, Abakpa said, “There is a tripartite committee but we have not heard anything from it, but we are optimistic that the government is going to do something about it so that Nigerian workers can rejoice and celebrate the May Day. That has been our hope.”

The NLC’s spokesperson, Benson Upah,  in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the state of the economy was unbearable.

Upah was reacting to a statement by the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, who said the whole country would be in a total blackout if the electricity tariff was not increased.

Faulting the minister, he stated, “ They (the government) are not just threatening  the survival of Nigerians, they are killing Nigerians in droves.’’

On whether Nigerians could  continue to survive the recent hike and state of the economy, Upah said, “Enough, it is enough.”

Queues worsen gridlock

Fuel queues worsened on Tuesday as the nationwide fuel scarcity assumed a worrisome dimension, leading to gridlock on major roads across the country.

The petrol scarcity also forced some workers and students to shun work and classes as the cost of transportation skyrockets in major cities.

The developments came as petroleum product marketers on Tuesday said they had commenced the distribution of 300 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise called petrol to different filling stations in a bid to halt the worsening fuel queues nationwide.

The Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria at a press briefing disclosed that its members in Apapa and other locations in Lagos had been receiving fuel from eight vessels this week.

Also, the South-West Regional Coordinator of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ayo Cardoso, confirmed to one of our correspondents that aside from the 240 million litres offloaded at various depots on Monday, close to 85 million litres of petrol were offloaded as of Tuesday evening.

This, The PUNCH reports, confirms the claims of marketers that over 300 million litres of fuel would hit the cities soon to clear the queues.

Our correspondents who monitored the situation in different locations report that the fuel crisis which started last week has been getting worse despite the assurances from the government.

On Tuesday, students, workers and other commuters could not get to their destinations due to the unavailability of commercial vehicles to convey them. Filling stations sold the product above N800 per litre while black marketers sold at over N1,200.

Addressing the press, MEMAN Chairman, Mr Huub Stokman, said the association deeply empathised with Nigerians facing the challenges occasioned by the unavailability of PMS, which resulted in queues at many retail outlets.

He said oil marketers could see the frustration and difficulties the situation had created, and explained that the NMDPRA and other key stakeholders across the supply chain were fully engaged and supportive in eliminating the queues as swiftly as possible.

“Our top priority is to restore stability and ensure that fuel supplies reach all depots and retail outlets across Nigeria promptly. While the current situation has been challenging, we want to reassure the public that there is an adequate supply of PMS available.

“Our members in Apapa and other locations in Lagos are taking products from eight vessels this week with over 300 million litres of PMS, well above our normal levels. We are actively coordinating with our member companies through swaps and other supply arrangements to ensure member stations remain stocked,” he said.

Stokman added further that “our depots will extend their loading times to ensure we load out as much as we can including tomorrow the 1st of May 2024.”

According to him, tanker drivers have also assured MEMAN of their support in ensuring the product gets to the retail outlets safely and quickly.

“We also will extend the opening times of selected retail outlets to ensure we can service our customers as long and as safely as possible. Independent marketers (depots & stations) are being allocated additional PMS to alleviate the situation.

“We expect the situation to improve in the coming days as supply chains adjust and stabilise. MEMAN remains committed to keeping you informed and providing timely updates,” he submitted.

Speaking with The PUNCH, the NMDPRA regional coordinator said 84.7 million litres were deposited in two depots on Tuesday.

“We have more vessels at the high sea, but until they come to the shore and discharge, that is when we can say we have the product. Very soon, everything will be normal. We are not prioritising Abuja; every area has its allocation,” he stated.

The PUNCH observed on Tuesday that none of the stations along Igando-Isheri Road dispensed fuel as at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, some black marketers around Ikotun were selling the product for between N1,400 to N1,500/litre.

A motorist at Ikotun, Valentine Chike, said, “No fuel station was dispensing in the morning when I went round this axis. I have to buy from black marketers at the rate of N1,400/litre. The situation is getting worse by day,” he said.

The effect of the lingering fuel crisis was felt in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Tuesday as students of both elementary and higher institutions could not attend classes.

While many of the students returned home from the parks, some others were sighted trekking to their schools.

In the last few days transport fares skyrocketed following the shortage of petrol. Filling stations have been taking advantage of the situation to fix different exorbitant prices for the product.

This development has made transport fares unaffordable to poor Nigerians.

A student sighted on the Panseke/Ojere road, Tolu Aina, said she was returning home together with her friends as her health situation won’t allow her to trek like other students.

“We are all going back home. I can’t afford the transport fare. Many are also going back home. Honestly, this is too much for us.” the student said.

While most of the filling stations in Abeokuta were under lock and key, the ones that opened for business demanded N1,000 bribe before selling to customers at above N800.

Meanwhile, black marketers took advantage of the situation to sell the product at exorbitant prices, ranging from N1,000 to N1,500/litre.

A commercial driver, Balogun Opeyemi, lamented the hardship caused by the development.

“It is very bad, since morning I have been to different petrol stations, and I have not been able to get fuel. This thing is getting out of hand, and we are tired. I parked my vehicle somewhere along the road to look for fuel.

“Stations are selling at N690/litre here and I have spent the last three days looking for fuel. Yesterday I could not buy fuel. Today, someone wanted to sell five litres of fuel to me at the rate of N7,000, but I can’t afford that,” he stated.

Some residents of Mowe, Magboro, Ojodu/Berger, Ikeja and others told our correspondents that the scarcity affected their daily activities, resulting in the increment of bus fares to their various destinations.

A resident, Adeolu Adebayo, revealed that “the fuel scarcity has made life unbearable for the people of Ikeja,” saying, “I have spent hours in long queues at filling stations selling at high prices. It is a huge burden on us, especially those of us who rely on public transportation,” Adebayo noted.

Another resident, Lamidi Hammed, said, “I cannot even go to work again, my vehicle is parked. My customers have been contacting me for patronage but how do I respond when there is no means to get to them? Commercial vehicles are also not helping because they also blame the hike in fares on fuel prices”.

A remote worker, Akeem Balogun, expressed concerns about the impact of the fuel scarcity on his work. He highlighted the unreliability of the power supply in his area, making him resort to a generator to aid his work.

He said, “I work remotely, and due to the poor power supply from the electricity company in Ogun State, I rely on my generator to maintain my work schedule. Unfortunately, the current fuel scarcity has significantly impacted my work efficiency, making it difficult to meet deadlines”.

A cab driver, Afeez Adisa, recounted that his transportation business had been undergoing hardship and he had been finding it difficult to adapt to the situation due to the sudden surge in the prices of fuel.

“Most drivers start work in the afternoon. In the morning that we are supposed to work, we will go to the filling stations to join the queues. Fuel is N700/litre. It is like we are working for filling stations,” the driver lamented.

Iskilu Jabar, a resident of Magboro, also complained about black marketers, who he said sold fuel at the rate of N1,500/litre.

“Since there is trouble getting petrol from filling stations, I have started patronising black marketers who sell at the rate of N1,500/litre. It’s really unbearable, but what choice do I have?” he asked.

In the same vein, one of our correspondents, who was at the Second Rainbow Bus Stop along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, reports that filling stations along the road sold between N900 and N1,000/litre.

A tricycle operator, Kenneth Okere, told The PUNCH, that he had been buying PMS at the rate of N1,000/litre since Monday and was only lucky to get fuel at N900 on a few instances.

“I have been buying since yesterday (Monday) at N1,000 and because of that, I have just been buying one or two litres. The filling stations around are either not selling or the queue is too much,” he recounted.

At Arepo, fuel was sold at the black-market rate of N900/litre.

Meanwhile, at the Mobil filling station at First Gate Bus Stop, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, the Manager was said to have banned the sale of fuel in gallons as bike riders and motorists besieged the station with jerry cans to buy fuel at the rate of N605/litre.

It was also observed that commercial buses were on the roads due to fuel scarcity on Tuesday.

A trader, Titi Ogunnaike, who was heading to Doyin Orile from First Gate lamented that she had waited at the bus stop for almost an hour.

“The roads are almost empty of buses. I’m going to Doyin in Orile and for almost one hour, no buses,” she said.

Similarly, a Facebook user, Ayomide Olalere, who is based in Ilorin, shared pictures of the empty Ganmo Market on Tuesday, saying, “This is Ganmo market today, no vehicles at all for more than 15 minutes. This fuel scarcity is becoming unbearable”.

‘Close schools’

Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society groups in Osun State, The Osun Masterminds, have called on the federal and state governments to immediately shut down schools to save pupils and parents from the hardship they were exposed to due to fuel scarcity.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, the Executive Director of the group, Prof. Wasiu Alli-Oyedokun, said Nigerians have been facing the toughest experiences of their lives moving around due to scarcity of fuel in the past few days.

According to him, many students have been trekking long distances to reach their schools, while many others paid exorbitant fees for transportation.

He said the temporary closure of schools could be part of measures to lessen the effects of the fuel scarcity on the populace, adding that rationing of workdays for workers should also be considered until the fuel situation improves.

“The economy is getting crippled by the day as workers and informal sector operators are also unable to get to their places of work. We recommend the shutting down of schools maybe for a few weeks while this scarcity lasts to avoid the children and their parents suffering unduly,” he added.

The Federal Capital Territory was not left out of the fuel crisis, as massive queues for petrol at filling stations continued on Tuesday, a development that negatively affected businesses and other activities in Abuja. (The PUNCH)