Plan to increase petrol pump price to N350 will plunge Nigeria into crisis ― Afenifere

The Federal Government’s plan to remove fuel subsidy, which would make Nigerians buy a litre of petrol do N350 would plunge the country into unimaginable crisis, capable of paralysing socio.-economic and industrial sectors, the Pan Yoruba Socio-political organisation, Afenifere has said.

Reacting to the development in a press release signed by its national publicity secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the organisation maintained that “the plan to increase the prices of fuel is “another indication of how insensitive the present administration is as far as the welfare of Nigerians is concerned.”

According to the release, “the plan by the Federal Government to get a litre of motor fuel to sell for between ₦320 and ₦350 in 2022, if carried out, may plunge the country into an avoidable social, economic and industrial crisis.”

It reads: “The resultant effect may snowball into a very serious logjam as the ignited labour crises may adversely affect the political trajectory of the country.”

Besides calling on the government to rescind its decision on the planned price increase, Afenifere said that “Nigerians have reasons to no longer trust the government on the tokens it promises to provide as palliatives to cushion the effect of the price increase. The mistrust is a product of similar promises made in the past but that was not kept accordingly.

“Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, talked about the reactivation of the four petroleum refineries along with the coming on stream of the ones being built by private investors. Why is government unwilling to wait for the refineries to start full production before removing the phantom fuel subsidy?

“Fuel subsidy mantra has been on for a long time. It has been proven to be an avenue to siphon public funds. But then, the government should stop using it as an excuse to inflict pain on the people. It should fix the refineries, ensure that they are in full swing production before talking about fuel price of any sort,” Afenifere concluded.

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