SHOWDOWN: Nigeria’s House of Reps rejects President Jonathan’s removal of petroleum-oil “subsidy”

Nigeria’s House of Reps rejects President Jonathan’s removal of petroleum-oil “subsidy”; more confrontation ahead.

Special to USAfricaonline.com,  the USAfrica-powered e-groups of  Nigeria360,  UNNalumni, and CLASSmagazine Houston

USAfrica: The realities and politics of the controversial and evidently unpopular decision by Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan

removing the “subsidy” on petroleum products/fuel/oil is moving into a struggle on constitutional process. The legislature through the House of Representatives has stated its opposition to Jonathan’s position, a few minutes ago, in a rare Sunday session today January 8, 2012 in Abuja.

The House has also decided to meet with labour leaders early this week.

Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade union Congress (TUC), and their affiliates have set and called for nationwide strikes and demonstrations beginning on Monday, January 9, 2012 to fight the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to remove the very popular fuel-petroleum “subsidy”.

They met in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Wednesday January 4, to issue the joint statement following the impact of the removal of the “subsidies”: more than doubling of fuel prices, food, transportation fees, and other items.

Nigeria’s key cities of Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Birnin Kebbi, Katsina, Ilorin, Ibadan and several others are witnessing strong protests — with an alleged killing of a young man/protester in Ilorin (Kwara state). The NLC and human rights activists have accused the Nigerian Police; the Police denies.
The Presidency has ordered Police to the venues of the demonstrations, and some have turned aggressive and violent.

The President of the TUC Peter Esele also signed a statement that the TUC “rejects without reservation the reported removal of petroleum subsidy by the federal government as announced by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) executive secretary Reginald Stanley, which ushered in an anti-people based price of N141 per liter. This is unacceptable to us and to the Nigerian masses who have been ambushed by a government they expressively gave a popular mandate to represent them some few months back.”

USAfrica News Index show that millions of Nigerians and keen watchers of Nigeria from the international community are increasingly concerned about President Jonathan’s handling of the mounting problems of insecurity across most parts of the country, inadequate power supply, the potential for religious conflicts especially the brazen killings of Christians by the radical Islamic sect Boko Haram, major problems with roads and inter-state travels, etc.

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