Nigerians React as NLC Threatens To Disown Peter Obi If He Adopts IMF, World Bank Policies As President (Full Details)

Nigerians React as NLC Threatens To Disown Peter Obi If He Adopts IMF, World Bank Policies As President (Full Details)

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has stirred reactions following his statement that the labour union would disown the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, if he adopts the policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank when elected as Nigeria’s President.

Ajaero made this assertion during an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, emphasizing that the NLC’s position on the removal of petrol subsidy and electricity subsidy remains unchanged.

He stated, “He (Obi) is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party but does he own the NLC or the Labour Party? Why can’t you separate them?

“Whosoever is the presidential candidate or official of the Labour Party must buy into our projects. If he says he was going to undertake those policies, let him be elected and try such policies.

“Whether a presidential candidate of a party that Labour forms would dictate for Labour? The answer is known to everybody. The policies of Labour, the ideologies of Labour are clear and we are going to pursue it.

“If anybody is coming with another ideology, he is going to have it tough with us because that is not what we stand for.

“It (our approach) would have been the worst for anybody flying the flag of the Labour Party to come and implement these policies, to come and adopt the policies of the IMF and the World Bank.

“It would have been worse for the person. In fact, we would disown the person, he would be on his own. We have to make this distinction clear.

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Reacting to the recent increase in electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Ajaero demanded an immediate reversal, stating that such increases only lead to further inflation.

He said, “Unknown to people, this issue of tariff increase is determined by inflation and the value of the currency.

“NERC takes these two major variables to determine tariff increase. Unknown to the same NERC, each time you increase tariff, it leads to another inflation which within few months, they would see demand for another tariff increase. And this is happening on and on and there is no control over it.”

The recent increase in electricity tariff by NERC, which saw customers paying N225 kilowatt per hour from the previous N66, has been met with criticism from many Nigerians.

In response, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) picketed NERC offices and distribution companies on Monday to press home their demands.

However, Ajaero criticized the “politics of reduction” embarked upon by NERC in recent times, insisting that NERC and distribution companies must first reverse the tariff to the old rates and come to the negotiation table with labour unions and other stakeholders on an agreeable way forward.

Published By: Onazi.Jnr