Joint Action Front (JAF), the umbrella body for the civil society allies of organised labour in the Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) the Joint Action Front (JAF), will hold a mass protest against fuel pump prices on January 3, 2011.

The pro-Labour civil society component of LASCO, is also protesting against Federal Government’s privatisation of the public assets in the country as well as the planned privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

Speaking at a press conference recently in Lagos, Convener of the group, Dr. Dipo Fashina, urged Nigerian workers and masses to join forces with labour movement to resist any increase in the prices of fuel.

He implored Nigerians to use the occasion of the mass protest to shut down any filling station that sells petroleum products above N65 per litre.

He maintained that the continuous fraudulent enrichment of the few ruling cabals and their cronies through the anti-people policies of privatisation as well as the unprecedented mismanagement and looting of public funds through security votes must not be allowed to continue.

Speaking also, Secretary of the group, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, said the “scandalous revelations from the Senate probe on Privatisation and the resolve by the ruling class to continue with the failed IMF/World Bank policies are responsible for job losses and collapse of local industries.

According to him, the growing rate of millions of unemployed, mass poverty and lack of access to basic necessities of life are clear testimonies of the desperation by those in power perpetuate corrupt practices.

“The time to act is now. The Inspector General of Police has been reported to say that the police and security operatives are trigger-happy to crush all protests against hike in fuel prices. The IG of police and the political rulers should be reminded by recent events across the world that those leaders who repress their people and violate their rights will sooner or later be brought to justice.

“The time is now, the suffering must stop. Government should make the four Refineries to work and build new ones and make petroleum products cheaper and affordable to all. Reverse the fraudulent handover of public enterprises such as NITEL, Nigeria Airways, Nigerian Ports Authority, Ajaokuta Steel, Osogbo Steel Rolling Mill among others.

“Stop the privatisation of PHCN and ensure that it is kept public and made efficient under the democratic control and management of elected committees of workers, consumers and representatives of the government in order to ensure that public resources invested are not mismanaged or looted since 1999,” he said.






culled from www.thisdaylive.com