Coalition of civil society organisations calls for reversal of petrol price to N197

CITIZENS COMPASS—Following the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, the Oyo State Coalition of Civil Society Organizations Against Hardship on Monday, August 5, 2024, called for the Immediate reversal of all of the anti-poor policies specifically the pump price of petrol to N197.

The Coalition called on the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the media, and other stakeholders to declare a nationwide industrial action following the Sunday broadcast of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Coalition stated this during a press conference in the State which was addressed by Prof. Ademola Aremu on behalf of Joint Action Front (JAF), Socialist Labour, All Workers’ Convergence and Centre for Popular Education (CEPED, CSATF, NATA/ITESIWAJU OYO PAM.

“Today, Monday 5th August 2024, makes it the third day, our coalition organized a peaceful protest here in Ibadan, Oyo State to render support to the call for a nationwide mass action against hardship and hunger tagged “End bad governance protest”. The protest kicked off across the country on the 1st of August 2024 despite all forms of initial threats, and intimation including propaganda by the Tinubu-led federal government.

“Our decision to organize peaceful protest on the 1st and 2nd of August, 2024 was to dare all odds and express our support for the call for a nationwide protest. This is a victory for the Nigeria working but suffering people. It has clearly shown that Nigerians are not slaves who would be told to surrender their fundamental and democratic rights to resist anti-poor policies. It has also demonstrated that no elected officeholder is greater than the citizens of the country.

“Again, the peaceful character of the protest especially here in Oyo State, has defamed a false narrative that the working people cannot successfully organize a peaceful protest without it degenerating into violence. So far, the protests against hardship here in Oyo state as well as in several states across the country have been acknowledged to be quite peaceful except in a few states like Kano, Bauchi, Yola, and Katsina where the protests which equally started peacefully turned into violence with over 10 persons killed by the security agencies in the process.

“We frown at this development, however, the information at our disposal has shown that the violent turn of the protest which started peacefully in these states was largely instigated and provoked by members of the capitalist ruling class in these states either with the security agencies or hired political thugs to drown the movement in blood as they did during the Endsars. It was to create a basis and justification for state repression. It must also be stated that without the courage exhibited by Nigeria working people and youth who dared all odds and went ahead to organise the peaceful protest across the country, it is obvious that President Bola Tinubu-led government would not have been smoked out of his café to acknowledge in its national broadcast the suffering Nigeria working people are going through at this present time.

“This to us is another gain of the protest except that none of the demands of the protest was addressed in the president’s national broadcast. As far as we are concerned, the national broadcast is just a mere justification for all of the neo-liberal policies responsible for the huge scale of pain and pangs Nigeria’s working people are going through at present. Aside from this, we note that none of the planned projects enumerated in the national broadcast has the potential to bring any significant relief and respite to the masses of the Nigeria working people. All achievements highlighted in the national broadcast failed to individually and collectively translate into any meaningful improvement in the lives of the working people across the country.

“This is an indication that President Tinubu-led government will not be willing to accede and attend to any of the demands of our coalition except if it is challenged with a struggle that is well-drawn, determined, and well-coordinated. Beyond the current ‘end bad governance protest’ we require a bigger, broader, and more disciplined movement of the working people and youths for a better Nigeria.

“It is in light of this, we shall commence immediate discussion and engagement with Nigeria working people and youths especially our allies like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the media, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), towards building a Pan-Nigerian movement of the working people that will be determined and prepared to challenge Tinubu -led administration and force it to accede to our demands which are reiterated as follows:

“Immediate reversal of all of the anti-poor policies specifically the pump price of petrol to N197

“Immediate repositioning of all of the public refineries and end to importation of petroleum products

“Immediate reversal of the decision to hike the electricity Tariff.
“Renationalisation of the power sector under the control and management of the elected representatives of the working people

“Political office holders should be placed on the salary and allowance earned by the civil servants
“Nigeria Police and armed forces must be accorded the right to form and belong to the trade union for adequate defense of their economic rights

“Free education at all levels as constitutionally guaranteed and reversal of current regime of fee hike across the Nigeria public tertiary institutions.
“A national minimum living wage which is constitutionally guaranteed, which rises as inflation rises.”