Fuel price comparison: Saudi Arabia minimum wage is N305,113, PDP tells Buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the economic assertions in President Muhammadu Buhari’s independence anniversary speech as a huge slap on the sensibilities of Nigerians, noting the illogicality in the comparison of Nigeria’s fuel cost with Saudi Arabia’s.

In its reaction to the president’s national address to mark the 60th Independence Anniversary on Thursday, issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary, the main opposition party charged him to “wake up to reality and take demonstrable urgent steps that will address the divisive tendencies and poor economic policies of his administration, which are fast decimating our dear nation under his watch.”

The PDP said Buhari’s attempt to justify the increase of fuel price in Nigeria by comparing it to the N168 per litre cost in Saudi Arabia “is a morbid joke,” noting that the minimum wage in Saudi Arabia is N305,113 (3000 Saudi Riyals), ten times higher than our paltry N30,000 which is largely unimplemented in Nigeria.

The PDP added: “Is Mr President not aware that, on the average, a person working in Saudi Arabia earns around 4,230SAR (N430, 267) to 16,700 SAR (N1,698,693) per month?

“Our party charges Mr President to always check his books before making such offensive comparisons including the price in Egypt where monthly average earning is around N222, 841 (9,200 EGP) against our N30,000.

“In comparing our costs with other countries such as Ghana, Chad and Niger where purchasing powers of citizens are much higher, did Mr President reflect on the cost of house rent, education, healthcare and average dependence on fuel for daily survival by ordinary citizens as obtainable in Nigeria?

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“If the flawed assertions as evident in Mr President’s speech are a direct reflection of how policies are formulated in his administration, then one needs not to wonder why our economy is in the doldrums.

“Indeed, it is imperative to state that if the Buhari administration had summoned the competence and honest to continue the programs already laid by previous administrations under our party to revive our refineries and provide an infrastructural backbone for our productive sector, fuel price will not be more than N100 per litre, in addition to the gains from by-product from crude oil.”

The PDP, therefore, urged the president to engender harmony and productivity by allowing for more robust discourse that will lead to affordable prices for fuel and other essential commodities in our country.

It further posited: “Our party also holds as ludicrous that President Buhari is hyping his ‘better together’ theme when the administration he heads, runs on nepotism, disregard for rule of law, human right abuses, corruption, political intolerance, suppression of free speech and aggression towards dissenting voices.

“We urge Mr President to end his rhetoric and take practical steps to entrench the culture of rule of law and strengthen harmonious living through inclusiveness, equity in wealth distribution and equal access to opportunities for all Nigerians irrespective of creed, class, and ethnicity.

“Furthermore, credible elections are essential to harmonious living. Our party, therefore, restates our commendation to Mr President for his newfound commitment to non-interference in elections leading to conduct of free, fair and credible governorship election in Edo State on September 19.

“We urge President Buhari to toe the line of the Edo election in the October 10 Ondo governorship election so as to consolidate the legacy of a free and fair election under his watch.

“Additionally, Mr President should exert himself on rebuilding our economy by ending his borrowing spree and focusing on our productive capacity instead of his endless lamentation over his failures.

“Moreover, security is pivotal to our economic revival. The unceasing acts of insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in the last five years have wrecked our nation’s productivity and threatened her corporate existence.

“It is therefore worrisome that Mr President’s speech did not address the call on him by Nigerians demanding that he rejigs his security architecture to inject new blood that will effectively confront our security challenges.”

The PDP restated its belief in the potentials of the nation and urged President Buhari to seek help by engaging more competent hands to assist in handling the affairs of the country.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE