An organisation under the auspices of the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) has called on the federal government to be wary of going ahead with alleged plans to increase the price of gasoline and electricity tariffs in the country.
This is just as the body warned that any idea to increase fuel and electricity may cause anarchy in the country.
Making this known, the Executive Director of the Centre, Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, stated this in a statement made available to the press in Kano on Friday.
He, however, described the government policies as insensitive and warned that the alleged planned increment could result in social unrest and instability in the country.
According to him, “the alleged planned increases in electricity and PMS prices vividly illustrate the emerging failures of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s regime’s economic policies.
“The claims and counterclaims regarding the alleged plans to increase the price of gasoline and electricity tariffs have been closely monitored by the CHRICED.”
President Tinubu’s administration seems to rely solely on extorting the citizens as a means of revenue generation, without considering the detrimental consequences such discredited strategies may have on their well-being. The government does not even mind whether the citizens bleed to death.
It is also clear that the President’s recent signing of the N28.7 trillion budget is far from the solution to the immense economic hardships faced by Nigerians.
A significant portion of the budget will be devoured or swallowed by the federal bureaucracy, the All-Progressive Congress (APC) contractors and consultants, and the extravagant and reckless desires of the National Assembly.
It is truly disheartening and unfortunate that while millions of Nigerians are still grappling with severe economic challenges caused by the government’s insensitive policies, all the government can think about is how to impose more hardships.
Despite the statements issued by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) denying any such plans, it is evident that there is more to this controversy than meets the eye. As the saying goes, “There is no smoke without fire.”
“The never-ending back and forth over hikes in the price of fuel and other key social services lends credence to assumptions in many quarters that the government is merely using these controversies to test the resolve of Nigerians and see if they can be pushed beyond their limits.
He noted that “it is important to remember that in December, the Chief Economist of the World Bank stated that the current price of PMS does not accurately reflect its true cost and that it would need to be sold at N750 or higher to reflect its actual value.
He added, “Recently, Nigerian banks also started notifying their customers about the Federal Inland Revenue Service’s (FIRS) directive to impose the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) on foreign currency inflows retrospectively from January 2021 onwards.
Evidently, the claims and counter-arguments surrounding the alleged planned increases in electricity and PMS prices vividly illustrate the emerging failures of the Tinubu regime’s economic policies.
After seven months at the helm of the Nigerian Presidency, CHRICED is convinced that citizens should begin voicing their assessments of the harsh impact of the government’s policy choices. As
It is an understatement to say that this government’s policy, aimed at generating revenue, is highly insensitive and heartless, indicating a lack of innovative strategies to revive the Nigerian economy.
To make matters worse, the people are now facing the threat of additional harsh policies in the new year, despite President Tinubu’s empty talk of empathy and claims that he understands the pains of the people.
The current state of the economy clearly shows that the welfare and well-being of millions are hanging by a thread while the ruling elite indulge in extravagant and wasteful spending.
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