NOA urges calm over petrol price rise, says reforms will strengthen economy

The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Kebbi State Directorate, has appealed to Nigerians to remain calm and patient amid recent increases and fluctuations in the retail price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The agency said the price adjustments reflected changes in global crude oil prices, market replacement costs and foreign exchange movements under the deregulated downstream petroleum sector.

The state Director of NOA, Muhammed Nasir Karofi, made the appeal in a statement by the agency in Birnin-Kebbi.

Karofi said the current economic pressures were not peculiar to Nigeria, noting that neighbouring West African countries, including Benin, Niger, Togo and Cameroon, were also experiencing price adjustments and inflationary pressures.

He acknowledged the impact of rising petrol prices on households and small businesses, but said the Federal Government considered the reforms necessary to address what it described as unsustainable subsidies and fiscal pressures.

According to him, the reforms are intended to improve government finances and create room for increased investment in infrastructure, security, education and social welfare.

Karofi said the government, under Governor Nasir Idris, was implementing measures aimed at cushioning the effects of the economic situation on residents.

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These, he said, included expanded mass transit initiatives and the upgrading of major transport facilities, including the Birnin Kebbi Central Motor Park, to help reduce transportation costs.

He also listed healthcare interventions, including the strengthening of primary healthcare services, rehabilitation of health facilities, medical outreaches and expanded coverage under the Kebbi State Contributory Healthcare Scheme.

The government, he added, was providing logistical and operational support to security agencies to help protect lives and property, secure farmlands and maintain peace in the state.

Karofi further said the government was implementing welfare interventions, agricultural support schemes and empowerment programmes targeting vulnerable groups, women and youths across the 21 local government areas.

On the Federal Government’s reform programme, the NOA official cited the student loan scheme, investment in national security infrastructure and economic diversification among measures being pursued by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.