The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has thrown its weight behind the demand for a reduction of petrol price to N500 per litre, warning the Federal Government that workers can no longer withstand the combined pressure of high fuel, transport and food costs.
HURIWA said the current petrol price of about N1,500 per litre had become unsustainable for millions of Nigerians and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to urgently intervene before the worsening economic pressure deepens poverty and hardship.
The group’s position came against the backdrop of the planned three-day warning strike by the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council from October 2 over demands that include cheaper petrol, payment of a wage award and the constitution of a tripartite committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage expected to become due in 2027.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, on Wednesday, HURIWA said the planned industrial action should be treated as a warning signal over the growing economic distress confronting Nigerian workers.
The rights group said workers were struggling to cope with the impact of rising transportation costs, soaring food prices and declining purchasing power.
HURIWA urged the Federal Government to engage the workers urgently, stressing that the issue should not be treated merely as a labour dispute.
It also demanded a comprehensive review of the factors responsible for the current petrol price, including crude supply arrangements, domestic refining capacity, importation costs, taxes and distribution margins.
The group called for full transparency in petrol pricing, demanding that relevant regulatory authorities make public the components used to determine the pump price.
HURIWA questioned why Nigerians should continue to pay about N1,500 per litre for petrol despite Nigeria’s status as a major crude oil producer and the emergence of domestic refining capacity.
The association also called for immediate measures to cushion the impact of high fuel prices, including targeted relief for workers and vulnerable households, improved public transportation and interventions to reduce transportation and food costs.
It further cautioned that neither the Federal Government, Dangote Refinery nor petroleum importers should be allowed to shift the burden of an inefficient or expensive petroleum market entirely to consumers.
HURIWA urged Nigerians to peacefully and lawfully demand measures that would reduce the economic burden, while stressing that any mobilisation must remain non-violent and within the bounds of the law.
The group warned that allowing the current economic pressure to persist could further erode workers’ purchasing power and deepen social hardship.
HURIWA therefore called on the Tinubu administration to treat the October 2 warning strike and the N500 petrol demand as an urgent national economic issue requiring immediate engagement and action.