Posted by LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja on
President Umaru Yar'Adua has vowed to do all within his powers to permanently resolve the longstanding question of government subsidies on the domestic prices of petroleum products which has perennially caused civil unrest in the country.
President Umaru Yar'Adua has vowed to do all within his powers to permanently resolve the longstanding question of government subsidies on the domestic prices of petroleum products which has perennially caused civil unrest in the country.
In his first major comment on the just called off strike, he identified the near total reliance on imported petroleum in spite of Nigeria's status as one of the world's biggest exporters of crude oil as exacerbating the subsidy question.
A statement on Sunday signed by presidential spokesman, Mr. Segun Adeniyi said 'President Yar'Adua finds this totally unacceptable and is therefore giving urgent attention to re-establishing and boosting domestic refining capacity and rehabilitating the country's pipelines network's damage which has severely restricted the operations of the country's refineries in recent years and hindered the distribution of petroleum products.
The president, who the statement pointed out regretted the hardship experienced by the people in the last one week, would fully rededicate himself to the task of repositioning the country for peace, rapid development and prosperity.
He also expressed the desire for the establishment of a new culture of engagement between labour and government that would be based on mutual trust and respect, good faith and honesty of purpose so that disagreements could be resolved amicably, without necessarily resorting to strikes that paralyse economic and social activities and cause untold hardships for ordinary Nigerians.
President Yar'Adua thanked all Nigerians for their understanding and perseverance in the course of the general strike embarked upon by the labour unions which was suspended Saturday.
He also commended the men and officers of the Nigerian Police and other security agencies for the high degree of professionalism which, he said, they exhibited in the course of the strike, as well as welcomed the patriotism and sense of responsibility shown by the labour leaders in suspending the strike.
The president, according to the statement, assured all Nigerians that the commitments which his government made in the course of negotiations to end the recent labour crisis would be expeditiously implemented.