The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has condemned the plan to limit fuel imports to few operators in the oil and gas industry.
It said this was monopolistic and aimed at frustrating the gains of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
The union urged that the market should be left open, if the government wanted to be sincere in addressing the problems of the sector.
According to the union, this is a conspiracy to waste another opportunity to fix the sector, noting that from the lawmakers’ position and body language, one could infer they are serving the interest of few individuals to the detriment of the over 97 per cent of the country’s population but that the congress would not allow that to happen.
In a statement, the TUC President, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, and Secretary-General, Comrade Musa-Lawal Ozigi, said the country could not afford to continue toying with the oil and gas sector as it remained the only major source of foreign exchange.
The two leaders urged the lawmakers not to be seen to serve the interest of few capitalists.
They said: “It is high time these principalities and powers removed their knees from the neck of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“The congress is not against the companies holding refining licences; we are only saying the sector should be left open so the destiny of the country will not be in the hands of a few individuals.
