The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajearo, has attributed the current uproar between the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to alleged government policy somersault and fraudulent moves by some forces.
Ajearo, who said this to journalists at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal ll, in Lagos on Wednesday, further described what has been going on between the Dangote and the NNPC as uncalled for, stressing that in a deregulated economy there should be choices and competition.
He quarried the basis for regulating what Dangote is to sell, insisting that deciding for the private sector on how or what should be sold is an act of fraud.
“For a product produced here, he didn’t import with dollars, there was no landing cost and they wanted him to sell it at the same cost as the one they are bringing from abroad. That is fraudulent and unacceptable.”
What you are seeing is fraudulent and policy somersault. Nigerians were made to believe that the sector has been deregulated and in a deregulated arrangement there should be choices and competition. So why are you now attempting to regulate how much Dangote should sell his product? Why?
“When Port Harcourt refinery comes up, let NNPC sell, let Dangote also sell but when you now begin to regulate how much Dangote should sell, that is fraudulent.
“This is the time for Nigerians to speak up. They told us that when they deregulate the economy, the private sector will direct the economy and the government will have no business in business. Now, they are trying to regulate how or what to sell by the private sector.
They want him to sell the product at the same price as when it was imported. For a product he produced here without landing cost and you want him to sell it at the same rate as the one imported, that is fraudulent,” he stated.
(PUNCH)