Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams
The Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, has challenged labour unions and civil society groups to rise up and protest the recent hike in fuel pump price and electricity tariff, just as they did in the administration of former President, Dr. Goodlukc Jonathan.
OPC also described the hike as an attempt to push Nigerians to the wall, saying the Federal Government was sitting on a time bomb.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Yinka Oguntimehin, OPC said the Federal Government had done the worst with such inhuman policy that is capable of destroying the trust of the people.
OPC held that “No good citizen will be happy with the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products, electricity, as well as the DSTV tariff.
“It is the worst decision ever made by a government that prides itself as the government of the people. With this increase, the FG is sitting on a time bomb, with no respect to the feelings and suffering of the people.
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“At the tail end of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, fuel was sold for N87 per litre, but since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in 2015, the pump price of fuel had increased on three occasions with over 100 percent.
“No government had ever done that. Therefore, the labour union and other civil society groups should rise to the occasion, by raising their voices against such insensitive decision, as they did during the Jonathan administration.”
OPC also picked holes in the reasons given by the Federal Government, adding that the new move will surely lead to poverty, admitting that Nigerians are in for a very difficult moment, as the market forces will always determine the price of fuel.
According to OPC, “we can hardly believe the reason behind the removal of the fuel subsidy. The timing was wrong and Nigerians are suffering under this administration.”
Oguntimehin urged the Federal Government to retrace its step and reverse the prices in the interest of the masses, by cushioning the effect of this outrageous increase in the prices of commodities that have a direct impact on the lives of the people.
“The hike is most unfortunate and it is capable of soiling the image of the Federal Government because government had tampered with the prices of such very important commodities that have a direct impact on the economy and the lives of the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government had, on Monday, given reasons for the sudden increase, admitting that previous governments lacked the courage to implement the controversial subsidy removal.
