By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Socialist Party of Nigeria, (SPN) on Wednesday described the the postponement of the planned removal of subsidy on petroleum products till further notice as postponement of an evil day
SPN in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Acting National Chairperson, Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye and the National Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, there was no basis for the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) and other unions to suspend its planned protest over the planned subsidy removal.
The party pointed out that rather than suspending the planned protest, the labour unions ought to have go ahead with the protest ” to demand an end to deregulation as well as other anti-poor policies like electricity tariff hike and power privatisation, non-implementation of the N30, 000 national minimum wage, high cost of living etc.
” We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) acknowledge the fact that the decision by the President Buhari-led government to postpone the take-off of the subsidy removal policy is a partial victory occasioned by the regime’s fear of organised labour and the working masses”, it said.
SPN added, ” however, it is our belief that the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) ought not to have suspended the planned actions. Instead, it could still have gone ahead with the 27th January and 1st February planned action in view of the government’s retreat to demand an end to deregulation as well as other anti-poor policies like electricity tariff hike and power privatisation, non-implementation of the N30, 000 national minimum wage, high cost of living etc”.
” The suspension of the planned action gives a false impression that all is now well and that the issue of subsidy removal is now gone. Unfortunately, this is not true! This is because, firstly, the statement from the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning is very clear that the government is merely postponing the policy of subsidy removal.”
SPN maintained, ” in our view, postponement is not equal to ending the policy of subsidy removal. It is merely a shift of the evil day. So far, the policy of deregulation, which entails the removal of fuel subsidy, as encapsulated in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 subsists”.
” At one point or the other, when the government feels confident enough, this brutal policy will still be imposed on the mass of workers and the poor with brutal consequences for their living standards and wellbeing. Secondly, this postponement three days to the commencement of the mass protest being planned by the NLC should be seen by the leadership of the labour movement as a sign that struggle can win.
” Given the prevailing anger and disappointment among the masses, the Buhari regime is obviously afraid of the possibility that the planned protests of January 27 and February 1st can detonate a bigger movement on the scale of the January 2012 movement. The regime also fears the likely electoral repercussion for the ruling party, should it go ahead and impose such an anti-people policy especially when the 2023 general elections are very close”.
The party, noted , ” this is a temporary retreat on the issue of subsidy removal and SPN once again acknowledges it as a partial victory. However, we hold that the labour leaders and activists should understand that this is not the time to go back to bed with confidence that all is now well. Instead, the labour movement needs to be brainstorming now on how to utilize this temporary retreat of the government to try and win more concessions for the working masses and oppressed youth”
