The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday asked the federal government to urgently approve emergency palliatives and wage awards to workers nationwide.

The Congress called on the government to introduce measures to cushion the impact of the rising price of petrol and ensure immediate sale of crude oil to local refineries in naira.

Commuters have started trekking long distances following the sudden increase in price of fuel in order to cut the cost of transportation.

Checks showed that petrol now sells for about N1,430 per litre in major cities, with prices reportedly higher in less accessible locations.

President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, in a statement on Wednesday, warned that the rising cost of petrol would further worsen the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

The labour leader noted that increases in transportation costs typically trigger higher prices of food, rent, school fees and other essential goods and services across the country.

Ajaero maintained that the latest increase came at a time when government pressure on oil marketers to reduce pump prices in response to lower international crude prices was beginning to produce results.

“As a nation, and as a people endowed with enormous fossil resources, we are deserving of a certain level of protection or buffer against the gales from the Gulf, and indeed, other gales,” he said.

Ajaero argued that Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country means it should be able to provide some protection against international oil market shocks regarding the latest surge that has been linked to the resurgence of conflict in the Gulf.

The NLC President urged the federal government to immediately introduce measures to shield households and businesses from the impact of the higher fuel prices.

“There is nothing wrong with the government subsidising the needs of citizens, especially in emergencies like this,” Ajaero argued.

He added that oil-producing countries were introducing different forms of intervention or palliatives to protect their citizens from the effects of the current global energy crisis.