Subsidy removal: Shelve proposed nationwide strike, CSO urges NLC

<p>Ahead of the August 2 date for commencement of a nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations and Political Parties for Good Governance (COSOSAP) has appealed to the organised Labour to drop the strike option.</p>, <p>National Coordinator of COSOSAP, Dr. Lillian Ene Ogbole, made the appeal on Thursday at a news conference.</p>, <p>Meanwhile, the NLC has given the notice to compel the federal government to review the sustained increase in price of petrol which it described as anti-masses.</p>, <p>Following the Labour threat, the federal government had cautioned against the strike.</p>, <p>A statement by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. B.E. Jedy-Agba, said it had earlier secured an order from the National Industrial Court in Abuja, which it said restrained the labour union from embarking on any strike action over issues bordering on “removal of fuel subsidy, hike in prices of petrol and consequential increase in cost of living,” pending the determination of the suit.</p>, <p>Dr Lillian Ene Ogbole at the media briefing said the oil subsidy regime was no longer sustainable as it constituted a drain pipe on the nation’s purse can no longer be sustained as it constituted a source of monumental corruption and a clog in the wheels of the Nation’s progress in the last forty five years.</p>, <p>She further appealed to the Organised Labour and Nigerians to realise that it was in the best interest of the nation to do away with it.</p>, <p>“It is true that Nigerians desire and deserve to buy petrol at a cheaper rate, but again it is equally true that neither our economy, nor any other economy in the world can bear the brunt of the mega corruption associated with the fuel subsidy regime as was obtainable in Nigeria.</p>, <p>“It suffices therefore to say that, the only way our dear nation Nigeria would not go the way of failed states like Venezuela and Sri Lanka etc., is to obliterate the fuel subsidy regi