By Patience Santos

Former NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, expressed concern that removing fuel subsidy while heavily relying on fuel importation would lead to perpetual pain for Nigerians. He made this statement while participating in a peaceful protest in Abuja, organized by the labour unions.

According to Wabba, the government’s approach of providing palliatives is merely a temporary solution and not a sustainable one. He emphasized that the key to resolving the issue of fuel price hikes lies in having functional refineries, which would reduce the dependence on fuel importation.

Wabba criticized a segment of the elite who prefer importation over local production because they benefit from the former. He urged that the focus should be on getting the refineries operational to address the subsidy issue and high fuel prices.

As part of the protest, organized labour across the country is expressing their opposition to the recent removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.