Date: 2001-03-22

AS protests organised by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against Federal Government's planned deregulation of petroleum products pricing gain momentum, a cleric and president of the Kwara State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Kolawole Solanke, has appealed to labour to reconsider its hard-line posture and embrace dialogue.

Similarly, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Lateef Adegbite, has called for caution and urged the labour leaders to see reason with the government because the measure is inevitable.

To ensure that the protests do not degenerate into violence, impromptu night prayers have been organised in some churches in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

Bishop Solanke told The Guardian yesterday that the rally was "uncalled for" and reminded the union of the hardships Nigerians faced under military.

He urged labour to refrain from any act that could bring back the military.

Solanke, who canvassed dialogue in place of protest, said: "For now, we don't need any protest in Nigeria. All we need is to have dialogue with the government. The NLC protest will give additional burdens to both the government and the workers.

"Besides, who bears the brunt? The masses of course. When the salaries of workers were recently jerked up by the government, did the NLC argue for the improvement of conditions of living of the masses they now claim to be fighting for?, he added.

Expressing the belief that deregulation could be a veritable economic measure for the economy's turnaround, Solanke, who is also the Methodist Bishop of Kwara Diocese, urged the government to embark on intensive campaign before its introduction.

Meanwhile, the Kwara State Police Command has promised a hitch-free rally in the state but it denied giving permit to the NLC to organise the protest rally which has been fixed for March 27, this year.

The Police Commissioner Gazali Lawal, said the protesters do not require our permit. We will guide and guard them as provided for in the constitution.

"Although, we have not been officially informed, but our investigations have shown that the NLC in the state would hold their rally on the 27th of this month," he stated.

Adegbite told The Guardian in Abeokuta that labour needed to approach the issue more constructively by carefully examining the pros and cons of the exercise.

He said deregulation could curb the frequent fuel shortages and its attendant hike in transportation fares.

Adegbite, who regretted that the controversy over the issue was escalating, stated that the workers may have misunderstood what deregulation is all about.

He said: "It appears that the labour movement has not fully understood what deregulation entails. NLC has taken only one aspect of it which is increase in pump price. It needs to approach the issue more constructively by placing it in a proper perspective, he stressed.

The NSCIA scribe said in the long-run, there would be more functioning refineries owned and managed by the private sector which will give room for adequate fuel supply and through market forces, prices will be forced down which is "the practice all over the world."

Besides, he stressed that deregulation would also ensure consistent and effective supply of fuel which enable industries to operate at installed capacity and increase in supply of goods at lower prices.

Deregulation is a global exercise, there is no way Nigerians can run away from it. It is inevitable, he asserted.

He, therefore, advised the workers to assist government to find a lasting solution to the fuel crisis to end the incessant increase in its price and the hardships faced by Nigerians.