Hike in fuel, electricity price ill-timed, worse decision ― OPC

The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has described the recent hike in the price of petrol otherwise known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and electricity tariff as an attempt to push Nigerians to the wall, describing the increase as the ill-timed and worst decision ever made by a government that prides itself as the government of the people.

OPC said this on Tuesday in a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr Yinka Oguntimehin, warning that such inhuman policy was capable of destroying the trust the citizens have in the government.

The group equally warned that with this increase, the government was sitting on a time bomb for what it noted as its lack of respect for the feelings and suffering of the citizens, calling on it to retrace its step and reverse the prices in the interest of the mass of the people.

“No good citizen will be happy with the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products, electricity, as well as the DSTV tariffs,” OPC said.

“It is the worst decision ever made by a government that prides itself as the government of the people. With this increase, the Federal Government is sitting on a time bomb, with no respect to the feelings and suffering of the people,” it warned.

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OPC recalled that petrol was selling at N87 per litre at the tail end of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, but lamented that its price had been hiked three times since 2015 since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power, making the increase to climb to 100per cent.

The group declared that no government had ever done that to the citizens, calling on the Labour Union and other civil society groups to rise to the occasion, by raising their voices against such insensitive decision, as they did during the immediate past administration.

“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 per cent.

“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 said.

OPC faulted the reasons given by the Federal Government in arriving at its decision, maintaining that the new move would surely lead to poverty.

According to Oguntimehin, Nigerians are in for a very difficult moment due to the ill-timed decision as the market forces will always determine the price of fuel.

“The recent hike in the prices of fuel and electricity is most unfortunate and it is capable of soiling the image of the Federal Government because the Federal 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.

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