Tinubu’s Neoliberal Policies Blamed For Fuel Price Hike As Group Calls For NLC, TUC Action | Sahara Reporters

The MSA accused the government of neglecting the survival of ordinary Nigerians in favour of policies dictated by multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

A civil rights organisation, the Movement for a Socialist Alternative (MSA) has condemned the recent hike in the pump price of petrol, blaming the Bola Tinubu administration’s neoliberal economic policies for worsening the suffering of Nigeria’s working masses.

In a statement issued on Thursday signed by its General Secretary, A.j Dagga Tolar, the group noted that petrol price rose from ₦1165 to ₦1400 in just three weeks — an increase of approximately 20 percent —describing it as unacceptable in a leading oil-producing country.

The MSA accused the government of neglecting the survival of ordinary Nigerians in favour of policies dictated by multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

“With millions of Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty, this increase in fuel prices will further compound the living conditions of the people,” the statement said.

The group criticised what it described as a one-sided pricing regime, where increases in international crude oil prices are quickly passed on to consumers, but price drops are never reflected at the pump.

It cited June, when crude oil reportedly fell to $80 per barrel, noting that petrol prices did not drop, with marketers claiming they had enough stock.

“This exploitation can only be challenged by the masses who are feeling the pain,” the MSA said.

The group also took a swipe at President Tinubu, noting that he is currently on vacation abroad while Nigerians grapple with rising food, transportation, electricity, and other essential costs.

The MSA argued that the fuel price hikes are not isolated but part of broader neoliberal reforms that place the burden of economic adjustment on working people while protecting big business and wealthy individuals.

It called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to move beyond issuing statements and mobilise the working masses against the exploitation and relentless increase in energy costs.

“The working masses have suffered immensely from the so-called reforms of the Tinubu government. More people have fallen below the poverty line as the cost of living has skyrocketed, with the current meagre minimum wage unable to cater adequately for the living conditions of the masses,” the statement said.

The MSA noted that petrol price has risen from ₦197 to ₦1400 in three years — an increase of over 600 percent — and asked how workers have survived under such conditions.

It urged labour unions to demand an affordable cost of petrol that reflects the real value of the minimum wage, and to fight against policies that deepen poverty.

The group also questioned who benefits from the reforms and who pays for them, saying that while workers are asked to make sacrifices, the wealthy continue to enjoy enormous privileges.

“The struggle against fuel-price increases cannot be separated from the bigger struggle against capitalist exploitation. The working masses must begin to question an economic system that places profit before human needs,” the MSA said.

The group also called on the organized Labour to mobilise workers, students, traders, artisans, and other sections of the working population to demand: “An affordable and accessible price of petrol that reflects workers’ income and living conditions.

“The immediate rehabilitation and full functioning of all government-owned refineries to ensure local refining and affordable petrol. An end to the continuous increase in the cost of energy and other essential commodities.

“A living wage that can adequately meet the basic needs of workers and their families. Democratic workers’ control and accountability over the country’s oil resources. An end to neoliberal policies that place the burden of economic crisis on the working masses.”

The group insisted that the working masses cannot continue to pay for the crisis of capitalism, and that Nigeria’s vast oil resources should benefit its people, not just private capital.