By Chimezie Godfrey
A Human Rights Group, Nigerians Against Bad Policies has called for the immediate reversal of fuel pump price back to N87 per litre.
The Co – convener of the group, Botti Isaac made the call during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him, this is a critical point in the journey of the nation and that the increase in petrol pump price and electricity tariff is a bad decision that will move the nation deeper into a tragic collapse.
He recalled that on the 2nd of September, 2020, government announced a shocking increase in the pump price petrol which came barely 48 hours after similar mindless stroke with increase in electricity tariff.
“Making a lame attempt to justify these callous actions, the President Buhari hinged the increment in price of petroleum on what he termed gradual recovery of oil prices internationally and even boasted before a traumatized nation, that there will be further increases in the price of petroleum and enjoined Nigerians to brace for these.
“This odd rhetoric by the administration of Buhari/Osinbajo in the guise of justifying the increment, is nothing short of demonstration of callousness, gross insensitivity and total disconnect from the realities and dire conditions of the average Nigerian on the streets.
“This is even as we do not lose cognizance of the fact that these neo-liberal policies sponsored by imperialist entities as the World bank, IMF and its cohorts, are mere smokescreen for privatization of the common patrimony and assets of Nigerians.
“We therefore reject the rhetoric , in the guise of excuses, advanced by the federal government to support the increment in the fuel price and electricity tariff.
“To change the present sad reality in the oil sector and ensure that Nigerians enjoy the benefits of oil production, the oil sector must be nationalized and placed under the control and management of the working people,” he stressed.
Isaac added that government should build new refineries and revamp old ones to make sufficient and satisfactory production of petroleum products for Nigerians and put an end to the corrupt practice of subsidy payment and the reign of oil cartels and marketers.
He disclosed that they already had series of engagements demonstrating their rejection of the anti-people policies by the Nigerian government.
“Already we have picketed the office of NLC Secretariat on Monday, 7th of September. We hold that the failure of the leadership of labour to rise to its responsibilities of effectively checkmate the excesses of the government which bear directly on the teaming generality of the working masses of this country is a pure betrayal of trust.
“As we have made known, we are determined to continue protest actions until the President Buhari and Osinbajo led government reverses the increments in the price of fuel and electricity tariff.
“We are unfazed by threats from the Nigerian police and other security agencies, aimed at intimidating Nigerians from exercising their fundamental as well as constitutionally guaranteed rights.
“We are heartened however with the fact that the world is closely and actively watching,” he said.
Isaac further called on Nigerians to join in resisting doomsday policies aimed at making life miserable for the poor masses.
He added that it is only by fighting against such bad policies that they can achieve freedom.
Also speaking, the Communication Officer, Social Action, Osuola Levi said the decision to increase fuel pump price and electricity tariff is the height of government insensitivity to the plight of the Nigerian citizens.
She said that this is more so considering the economic hardship Nigerians are already going through occasioned by the COVID 19 pandemic.
The National Publicity Secretary, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Gerald Katchy who also condemned these increment revealed that they would also be engaging the National Assembly to ensure that the government does not continue with these bad policies.
Katchy decried the fact that under this administration, fuel price has been increased three times under the guise of oil sector deregulation.
He said these increment were made without any tangible program, plan or project for Nigerians, and therefore called for the reversal of the petrol pump price back to N87 per litre and the electricity tariff.
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