The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for making a comparison of Nigeria and Saudi Arabia’s fuel price.
MERIDIAN SPY reported Thursday, the President, in his defence of his administration’s decision to remove fuel subsidy and consequently increasing the price of the product, had said it makes no sense for fuel to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.
“Petroleum prices in Nigeria are to be adjusted. We sell now at N161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will illustrate the point,” said President Buhari in his speech commemorating Nigeria’s 60th Independence anniversary.
“Chad which is an oil producing country charges N362 per litre, b. Niger, also an oil producing country sells 1 litre at N346. c. In Ghana, another oil producing country, petroleum pump price is N326 per litre.
“Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.”
Reacting on Thursday, Quadri Olaleye, TUC President, described the President statement as ridiculous, noting that Nigeria was not at par in all ramifications with Saudi Arabia and other countries mentioned.
“It is ridiculous to compare Nigeria with Saudi, Dubai, or any other country, not even in Africa. With the natural resources that we have, we could rule the world, but government is not interested. There is no need for this comparison because it looks like the president is defending fraud and the impoverishment of Nigerians,” said Olaleye.
“Come to think of it, what has Nigeria achieved with all the money made from oil since over six decades of oil exploration in commercial quality? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All successive leaderships have done is loot, launder and buy properties in foreign land.
“So, if the president is defending the hike (in pump price), what does he want to do with the surplus they will make from the hike? The same old story of providing infrastructure! Our roads are nothing but death traps. Our leaders are not patriotic at all.”
