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• Intercontinental vs. Water-Parks: Winfunke denies duping Jimoh Ibrahim
• FG, TUC disagree over fuel subsidy
• Shareholders endorse Omatek
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FG, TUC disagree over fuel subsidy

By ANDREW OJIEZEL

PARTICIPANTS at the just concluded National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of Trade Union Congress (TUC) rejected Federal Government's plan to remove petroleum products' subsidy, saying “if we want to know what is the masses benefiting from governance if the only subsidy being enjoyed by ordinary masses is allowed to be removed and government must let us know which way it wants to help Nigerians to enjoy the dividends of democracy.”

Speaking with National Daily at the event, the General Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Bayo Olowoshile reiterated that the grouse of the union over the plan to stop subsidy by FG was because “apart from the petroleum subsidy, nothing else government is offering to Nigerians.”

“As you are aware, we are very critical major stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, it has been our job, our survival and our security is much dependent on oil and gas industry from the upstream to the downstream. That is why we are taking emotional and passionate position each time we talk about the soul of oil and gas industry. Since 1999 till date, government has come up with various committees but none has really come up with something serious and factual that can lead Nigeria to soft landing in downstream particularly in terms of supply and demand of gas and oil.

“Our concern now is government again contemplating in removing petroleum subsidy in January 2009, if you are removing petroleum subsidy what are you giving them in return? It is only through this subsidy that the masses have enjoyed the benefit of governance. If the plan of government is to remove the subsidy, what does it have in store for the masses, how is government prepared to give alleviate the cost of living of ordinary Nigerians, is it term of salary or what? How will people that not salary earners or not in government's payroll enjoy any benefit from government?

What we know is that the pedigree of government is that they will come with sweet talk, and at the end you don't get anything from them. Enough of government's deception, they always tell us to trust them but only for them to do the opposite. For us we don't trust them because if they say they will alleviate the suffering of Nigerians through another means outside petroleum subsidy, it will never happen, it is not realistic. In other civilised countries, apart from subsidising their petroleum products, farmers are subsidised but here in Nigeria farmers and other artisans are on their own. Our stand is that government has wasted nine years without positively impacting on lives of citizenry. Government should come up with full political will that would ensure full local production. If they insist on removal of subsidy we can assure you that we would get back at government in due course with the appropriate feed back.