Breaking: TUC Issues 14-Day Ultimatum to Tinubu's Govt to Stop 5% Fuel Tax, "Economic Wickedness"
- TUC rejected FG’s proposed 5% tax on petroleum products, calling it an “act of economic wickedness” against already overburdened Nigerians
- The union gave government 14 days to withdraw the proposal or face a nationwide shutdown, saying the levy would worsen poverty and cripple businesses
- TUC vowed to mobilise affiliates, civil society, and citizens for resistance, insisting Nigerians deserve relief and economic justice, not further hardship
FCT, Abuja - The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has rejected the federal government’s planned 5% tax on petroleum products.
This the union described the proposal as “reckless act of economic wickedness.”
Source: Twitter
Recall that the federal government had said it is intended to provide steady funding for road projects and close the country’s infrastructure gaps.
According to Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, the measure is being implemented at a higher rate in over 150 countries.
Reacting to this development, TUC has asked the government to withdraw the proposal within 14 days, vowing to shut down critical sectors in the country if the government failed to do so.
Festus Osifo and Nuhu Toro, President and General Secretary of TUC respectively, in a statement they jointly signed, explained that Nigerians were already overburdened with different taxes.
The labour leaders, who described the new tax as unacceptable, argued that Nigerians cannot be used as sacrificial lambs again, declaring that all the affiliates of the Congress had been placed on standby.
They said,
“This reckless proposal is nothing but an act of economic wickedness against already overburdened Nigerians. Let it be clear: workers and citizens are still reeling from the pains of subsidy removal, skyrocketing fuel prices, food inflation, and a collapsing naira."
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) said that introducing another levy on petroleum products would deliberately compound suffering, cripple businesses, and push millions of citizens deeper into poverty.
It stressed that the government could not continue to use Nigerians as sacrificial lambs for its economic experiments, adding that instead of providing relief, jobs, and solutions, authorities had chosen to further squeeze citizens dry.
The union maintained that this was unacceptable.
TUC urged the Federal Government to immediately stop what it described as an anti-people’s plan in its entirety, warning that failure to do so would leave the Congress with no option but to mobilise Nigerian workers and the masses for nationwide resistance.
Vowing to resist the implementation of the tax, the Congress stated that strike action was firmly on the table if the government ignored the warning and proceeded with the policy.
It therefore directed all its state councils, affiliates, and structures nationwide to remain vigilant and watchful for further communication, which could lead to decisive action if the government disregarded the collective will of the people.
The TUC also called on allies, including civil society organisations, professional bodies, student unions, market associations, faith leaders, and patriotic Nigerians, to stand in solidarity with them in the struggle.
The union emphasised that together, Nigerians must resist policies that further impoverish citizens and mortgage the country’s future, insisting that the people deserved economic justice and not endless punishment.
Source: Legit.ng
