The Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP) has taken sides with the Nigerian people demanding that the increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit otherwise called petrol and the hike in the price of electricity tariff should be reversed.
The group argued that the timing is not right especially when the Covid-19 pandemic has depleted the take home pay of the man on the street.
In a statement by its National Secretary, High Chief Peter Ameh, the group stated that the current leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) is unprotective of the masses and lacks the will power to carry out any strike action.
CUPP therefore called on the masses to develop the will to speak for themselves on these matters that are meant to enslave and imprison their conscience and destinies.
The statement read in part: “When NLC and TUC came out about two weeks ago threatening fire and brimstone over the recent increases in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) and Electricity tariff, many Nigerians were very sceptical about their will power to carry out the strike action because of how unprotective of the masses the current leadership of both NLC and TUC have been since it came on board.
“NLC and TUC should know that the ordinary man on the street has lost confidence, trust, and faith in their ability to actually speak or act for them.
“NLC and TUC cannot claim to be unaware of the suffocating and life threatening suffering being experienced by the Nigerian people as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and then to add salt to the injury the government without consultation carried out an arbitrary increase on the price of PMS per litre and the cost of electricity tariff per unit simultaneously without any soft landing measures to cushion the effect of such increase on the masses.
“That singular action has led to the exponential increase in the prices of transportation and other commodities.”
“CUPP believes that NLC and TUC do not have the capacity to represent the interest of the Nigerian people and as such have no answer to these questions.
“The masses must develop the will to speak for themselves on these matters that are meant to enslave and imprison their conscience and destinies. We all know that all is not well in Nigeria, politically, economically and socially and this administration is still rolling out policies that will finally destroy the little fragment of life left with the masses while NLC and TUC refuse to act to protect the interest of the people.
“If the NLC/TUC meant well for the people, they would have insisted on using the two weeks as opportunity for people to protest and voice out their grievances for the rulers to hear and know how to mend their ways rather than to use the two weeks to silence the people and devise ways to deceive us as usual.
“With the current transportation cost and high food prices and almost all due to fuel price increment.”
