The National Labour Congress (NLC) has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s offer to sponsor a tour of West African countries to study their fuel prices, suggesting the proposal could be seen as an attempt to sway the union rather than a genuine effort to solve Nigeria’s fuel crisis.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero revealed this at a recent workshop in Lagos, where he criticized the government’s focus on foreign comparisons instead of addressing domestic fuel challenges.

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Tinubu had proposed the trip to show that fuel prices in neighboring countries, such as Cameroon, where prices are as high as N2,000 per liter, are significantly higher than in Nigeria.

However, Ajaero stressed that the government should prioritize tackling fuel smuggling across Nigeria’s borders, which he sees as a major factor driving the fuel price hike.

“Mr. President also offered to sponsor our trip to some West African countries, where the lowest petrol price is N1,700. He said in Cameroon, petrol is sold for N2,000, and none of these countries have refineries—they source their products from Nigeria,”Ajaero said.

The NLC President argued that securing Nigeria’s borders against fuel smuggling should be the government’s main focus, rather than funding international trips.

“We told him to secure the borders because that’s the reason those products are being smuggled. We declined the offer, knowing Nigerians would accuse us of being bribed, rather than understanding it was just for a tour to those West African states.” he added.

The union has remained firm in its stance that the government must take urgent steps to address the impact of rising fuel prices on Nigerian workers, who are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis.

The European Parliament has voted decisively to remove restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons against Russian territory.

The resolution, passed by 425 votes to 131, with 63 abstentions, marks a significant escalation in European support for Ukraine’s defense efforts.

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The resolution calls on EU member states to allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles and other advanced weaponry against “legitimate military targets” in Russia.

Lawmakers argue that Ukraine needs to fully defend itself, emphasizing that without the ability to strike Russian targets, the country remains vulnerable to continued attacks on its cities and infrastructure.

Additionally, the Parliament urged EU countries to speed up arms deliveries and impose tougher sanctions on Russia, including a full embargo on Russian oil and gas.

The resolution also calls for increased funding for Ukraine’s military and further sanctions on nations assisting Russia, such as Belarus.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that allowing Ukraine to strike inside Russia could be seen as NATO’s direct involvement in the war, raising fears of a broader conflict.

While the vote is non-binding, it sends a strong signal to European governments, many of which have hesitated to provide Ukraine with long-range weapons like Germany’s Taurus missiles due to concerns over escalation.

Turkey on Thursday accused Israel of seeking to expand the war in Gaza to Lebanon with the “alarming” wave of deadly explosions that swept through Hezbollah strongholds.

“The escalation in the region is alarming,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on state-run TRT television. “We see Israel mounting its attacks towards Lebanon step by step.”

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The blasts have killed 32 people in two days, including two children, wounding more than 3,000 others, according to Lebanese health ministry figures.

Israel has not commented on the unprecedented operation in which Hezbollah operatives’ walkie-talkies and pagers exploded in supermarkets, at funerals and on streets.

But its defence minister Yoav Gallant, referring to Israel’s border with Lebanon, said Wednesday: “The centre of gravity is moving northward.”

Turkey blamed Israel for the blasts.

“We have come to a point where these operations carried out by Israel have become increasingly provocative, and in return, Iran, Hezbollah and elements close to them have no choice but respond,” Fidan said.

Hezbollah is an ally of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting a war in Gaza since its October 7 attack on Israel.

For nearly a year, the focus of Israel’s firepower has been on Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.

But its troops have also been engaged in near-daily clashes with Hezbollah militants along its northern border, killing hundreds in Lebanon, most of them fighters, and dozens more in Israel.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati to offer his condolences over the wave of deadly blasts.

Erdogan is a vocal critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Courtesy – AFP