By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja
A civil rights advocacy group, One Love Foundation, yesterday, writes President Muhammadu Buhari, National Assembly Leadership, Edo State National Assembly representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives, National Union OF Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and others over the rejection of the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, and called for urgent intervention.
The letter which was signed by the Founder and President of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor, and made available to Vanguard, pointed that the directive to increase the pump price of PMS popularly called fuel or petrol was ill-timed because Nigerians are still battling with economic crisis occasioned by the novel Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, which has further taken Nigerians below the poverty line.
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According to the letter instead of the government to intervene with pro masses palliatives, it has ended up hurting the people with a litany of woes ranging from jacking up of the Value Added Tax (VAT), increase in electricity tariff, introduction of stamp duties in all banking transactions, and the obnoxious, callous and unconscionable recent introduction of tax on all tenancy and lease agreements, the serial increase in petroleum products as well as allowing DSTV to exploit Nigerians at will without doing anything.
The letter with subject ‘RE: URGENT APPEAL TO INTERVENE ON THE INCREASE IN PUMP PRICE OF PREMIUM MOTOR SPIRIT FROM #148 TO #151.56k PER LITRE’ reads in part, “My name is Patrick Osagie Eholor, an indigene of Edo State and President of One Love Foundation, a civil rights advocacy group whose activities are well known by amnesty international.
“One Love Foundation rejects the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from N148 to N151.56k per litre following the announcement by the Petroleum Product Marketing Company that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation retail outlets would now sell petrol for N151.56k per litre, while the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria had directed its members in the South-West to sell at N162.
“This directive is ill-timed because Nigerians are still battling the economic crisis brought by the coronavirus pandemic and, instead of the government to intervene with pro masses palliatives, it has ended up hurting the people with a litany of woes ranging from jacking up of the Value Added Tax (VAT), Increase in electricity tariff, introduction of stamp duties in all banking transactions, and the obnoxious, callous and unconscionable recent introduction of a tax on all tenancy and lease agreements, the serial increase in petroleum products as well as allowing DSTV to exploit Nigerians at will without doing anything.”
The group also said if the government fails to take action on its demand it will mobilize its members across the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to occupy the streets of Nigeria.
It also expressed a total loss of trust and confidence in the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, for alleged compromise and not standing for the masses.
“As a group, we have lost total confidence with the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress for compromising badly since the heydays of late Comrade Michael Imodor; the same goes to the TUC and other civil society organizations.
“Therefore, if nothing urgently is done, One Love Foundation shall mobilize her members across the 36 states of the federation including the FCT, and occupy the streets of Nigeria until the prices are reversed.”
