News
Fuel price hike: NLC says Tinubu’s Govt insensitive
•Labour fears hike will fuel food crisis
•Increase in line with rising crude price –Dangote
The Nigeria Labour Congress has frowned on the recent hike in the pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, describing it as the height of insensitivity against the masses.
Senior NLC officials disclosed this in separate interviews with our correspondents on Sunday, as oil marketers refuted being blamed for the recent hike in PMS prices nationwide.
Similarly, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery also said the rise in petrol price was not from the $20bn Lekki-based plant but due to an increase in the cost of crude oil, the major component for refined petroleum products.
Recall that on Friday, the pump prices of petrol rose to between N1,050 and N1,150 per litre following the hike in the cost of the commodity by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and various depot owners.
Dealers confirmed that PMS prices would continue to rise since the major component in fuel production, crude oil, has been on the upward swing lately.
Reacting to this, the Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku argued that in a saner clime, representatives of workers, the organised private sector and students would have been called to a roundtable to deliberate on the course of action and analysis of the consequences before the decision would be taken.
He said, “This pump price hike will not only affect foodstuff and fare. There is the problem of inflation and the value of naira to contend with. Instead, what we are seeing is a situation we call Tinubunomics. It is something that has not been tested.
“When you talk about subsidies, is there a country that doesn’t have it? It’s all over the world. Even most of the goods you see in this country from China are subsidised. You are refusing to subsidise fuel and also refusing to even facilitate the so-called CNG buses. How many years does it take to do something like this?
“If you know the kind of game we (the NLC) and them are playing on this CNG thing. Now, they are not even involving the people in the so-called CNG conversion. If you promise to run an inclusive government, It’s not just you that should be doing the talking. Yet, when somebody talks, they send attack dogs to attack and label him a member of the Obidient movement.”
Continuing, Ndubuaku emphasised that President Bola Tinubu will do well to borrow the template of former leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo, who he claimed held a monthly roundtable with stakeholders whenever sensitive issues that have a lot to do with workers’ welfare were being discussed.
“Such discussions were held in the Villa. Every month people would be invited and issues would be discussed. We’re not saying you shouldn’t do it. But please, carry people along. Let us know why you want to do these things so people will be prepared.
“But you can’t just keep changing the prices without any regard for us? This is what is causing all this frustration. They are not carrying the masses along. They have virtually made it difficult for the NLC to be involved in anything they are doing. Nigeria is not the personal property of anybody.
“If you are going to do anything that will involve the masses, you should call the people who represent the workers at least. You have certain blocks and groups of people in this country that have representatives, even in the so-called business sector that you can talk to,” he explained.
Labour tackles marketers
Also speaking on the hike in petrol price, the Chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Lagos State, Sessi Funmi, accused oil marketers of being major contributors to Nigeria’s economic challenges, describing them as “enemies of the masses.”
Speaking with on Sunday, Sessi criticised oil marketers for manipulating petroleum pricing to exploit Nigerians, alleging that they were undermining the government’s efforts to stabilise the downstream oil sector.
She asserted that the recent reduction in the pump price of petrol did not sit well with marketers because it disrupted their exploitative practices.
“How can marketers be telling us that an increase in crude oil prices automatically translates to higher prices for the finished product? Are they buying crude oil? No! They buy the finished product,” Sessi said.
She applauded Tinubu’s administration for reviving two of Nigeria’s refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri, emphasising that these developments should lead to a further reduction in PMS prices.
She argued that oil marketers are attempting to frustrate these efforts to maintain their monopolistic control.
“The Tinubu administration has done what successive governments failed to do by putting our refineries to work. Marketers should stop frustrating these efforts.
“The government must deal directly with suppliers and eliminate middlemen who corruptly enrich themselves,” Sessi added.
She urged the government to emulate Dangote refinery’s direct supply model and establish agreements with oil companies and petrol stations to ensure fair pricing.
“Marketers are the problem. They’ve been receiving subsidies without supplying products and now want to determine prices when they don’t even own refineries.
‘We reject this. Nigerians cannot continue to suffer due to their greed,” Sessi concluded.
The NLC chair called for transparency and accountability in the petroleum sector, warning that Nigerians will no longer tolerate exploitative practices.
Dangote refutes blame
The Dangote refinery said it has agreed with its partners – MRS, Ardova and Heyden – to sell its PMS at the rate of N970 per litre across the country.
The company said it absorbed the increased logistics costs to guarantee uniform pricing across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“All our partners, including Ardova, Heyden, and MRS Holdings, will offer petrol to Nigerians at a retail price of N970 per litre nationwide. We have absorbed the increased logistics costs to guarantee uniform pricing across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory,” Chiejina said.
PUNCH
The Apex sociocultural youth organization of the Igbo race worldwide, Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), has described the current arrest made by the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offence (ICPC) against former Minister of Science and Technology and the 2027 People Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Enugu State, Hon. Uche Nnaji, regarding his certificate, as a deliberate political witch-hunt orchestrated by the Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency Gov. Peter Mbah.
In a press address in Enugu on Wednesday, 8th July 2026, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), called on Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to maintain the commission’s ethical standards, threatening to seek his removal if evidence confirms the alleged bias of ICPC in favor of Governor Peter Mbah against Hon. Uche Nnaji regarding the 2027 Guber election.
*The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) revealed that the fight against Hon. Uche Nnaji is a battle for the Enugu Governorship and the “Lions Building Seat” in 2027, and dismissed the certificate forgery allegations against Uche Nnaji as a political distraction and blackmail.*
The surreptitious entry into the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to obtain a court order detaining Hon Uche Nnaji is a teleguided executive overreach attributed to Gov Peter Mbah apparently aimed at silencing Hon Uche Nnaji, which is highly censurable.
The Council stated that “A court of competent jurisdiction is presently handling the unsubstantiated certificate forgery case, and the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Hon Uche Nnaji have opted for an out-of-court settlement, following recent findings of misinformation.
Therefore, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), should maintain a neutral stance regarding the Enugu State Governorship battle to preserve his reputation built through his legal career and public service, and avoid being perceived as succumbing to Governor Peter Mbah’s alleged attempts to utilize executive power to blackmail and witch-hunt Hon. Uche Nnaji.
The Ohanaeze Youth Council(OYC) warned Governor Peter Mbah to concentrate on fulfilling his unfulfilled campaign promises to Enugu State rather than chasing Hon Uche Nnaji through the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
Families displaced by the recent fire outbreak in the Asata area of Enugu have received immediate relief from the Enugu State Government following the intervention of Governor Peter Mbah, who directed that palliative support be provided to ease their suffering.
Chairman of the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (ESEMA), Chinasa Mbah, disclosed that the agency promptly delivered the relief materials in compliance with the governor’s directive.
“We have given them some palliative as directed by His Excellency. Our report has equally gone in, and we await further instructions,” Mbah said.
She explained that ESEMA has completed its assessment of the incident and submitted its recommendations to the state government, adding that additional assistance for the affected families will depend on the governor’s approval of the agency’s report.
The swift response underscores Governor Mbah’s commitment to standing with citizens in times of distress. The victims, whose homes and belongings were destroyed in the fire that gutted two flats in a two-storey building on Church Road, Asata, are expected to receive further support as the government considers ESEMA’s recommendations.
The National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children’s Education (NCAOOSCE) has defended the inclusion of projects outside its statutory mandate in the 2026 budget, insisting they are National Assembly constituency projects assigned to the commission for implementation.
However, the explanation has done little to quell public scrutiny, with critics questioning why a commission established to tackle the Almajiri system and out-of-school children—challenges largely concentrated in Northern Nigeria—is overseeing projects reportedly located in parts of the South-West.
The controversy has also been fuelled by concerns over the scale of the allocations, as the value of the disputed constituency projects is said to far exceed the funds earmarked for the commission’s core education programmes.
Responding to the criticism in a statement issued on Monday, the commission’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Nura Muhammad, said the projects were included in the 2026 Appropriation Act under the long-standing practice of assigning constituency projects to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for execution.
According to the commission, once such projects are approved in the federal budget and allocated to an agency, they become part of its implementation responsibilities.
“As part of a duly enacted federal budget, every project assigned to the commission forms part of its implementation responsibilities and will be executed in strict compliance with extant laws, financial regulations and due procurement processes,” the statement said.
NCAOOSCE maintained that the inclusion of the projects does not alter its statutory mandate, stressing that it remains focused on addressing the Almajiri system and reducing the number of out-of-school children across Nigeria.
The commission cited its achievements, including the profiling of more than 700,000 out-of-school children, the establishment of 119 learning centres, ward-to-ward advocacy campaigns, and the implementation of the National Policy on Almajiri Education, as evidence of its commitment to its core responsibilities.
This version attributes the concerns to critics and public scrutiny rather than stating them as established facts.
A Police Inspector, Dr. Obodo Paul Ikechukwu, has reportedly died after he was involved in a fatal road accident allegedly involving a police convoy in Enugu State.
The deceased, who hailed from Nkpologu in Enugu State, was serving in the Operations Department of the Enugu State Police Headquarters at the time of the incident.
Details surrounding the circumstances of the accident remain unclear, but sources said the inspector was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle in a police convoy.
Dr. Obodo, who was also a PhD holder, was described by colleagues and associates as a dedicated officer whose death has come as a shock to members of the police command and his community.
As of the time of filing this report, the Enugu State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the incident, while further details are being awaited.
The Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry Enugu, , has offered prayers for , praying for God’s favour, protection, and victory as the state approaches the coming elections.
Speaking during a church gathering, Mbaka declared that Governor Mbah would succeed, expressing confidence that God, whom he said had begun a great work through the governor, would bring it to completion.
“It shall be well with Peter Mbah; may the favour of God be with him. We back him with our prayers. The Adoration family throws our prayers around him, that he will succeed, in the name of Jesus. May God grant him the power of victory at the end of the whole election,” Mbaka said.
The cleric further expressed hope that Mbah’s leadership would bring joy to the Igbo people, the people of Enugu State, and the Church, adding that the Igbo economy could witness greater advancement under his administration.
According to Mbaka, the progress recorded so far gives hope that greater achievements lie ahead, stressing that God would perfect the work already begun.
His remarks come as political activities continue to gather momentum ahead of the forthcoming elections.
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