The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has rejected the latest unjustifiable increase in fuel prices by the federal government across the country.
Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the official pump price at its owned retail filling stations in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
CNG National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, said in a statement on Thursday that an increase in fuel prices is tantamount to creating artificial price hikes in goods and services in the country due to the centrality of fuel to the economy and the domino effects that naturally resonate from such an increase.
According to him ,It is imperative to remind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that Nigerians did not vote for the Group Managing Director of the NNPCL or any other unelected official.
The people elected him as President, and it is expected that he governs with compassion, empathy, and a deep understanding of the hardships faced by ordinary Nigerians.
“We have credible reports indicating that in some states, fuel prices have already surged to an outrageous ₦1,400 per liter.
” This is unacceptable and a direct assault on the economic wellbeing of the masses, who are already grappling with soaring inflation, unemployment, and pervasive insecurity. ”
The CNG warns that this reckless policy will have serious consequences for the Tinubu administration, as the trust and patience of the Nigerian people are wearing thin.
This price hike is devoid of any democratic consideration and reflects a disconnect between the government and the people.
Similarly, the CNG condemns the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for contributing to the current avoidable circumstance through promotion of personal selfish interest of its President, Joe Ajaero for his political ends.
It is unfortunate that the NLC had sacrificed foresight and vision to satisfy the desperation and personal aggrandizement of Ajaero who specializes in manipulation and playing with the peoples intelligence to quench his sundry ambitions.
It may be recalled that on July 20, the CNG, in a press conference in Abuja warned that “We are skeptical of the federal government’s plan to further increase the fuel price in order to fund the new national minimum wage.
“We reject this plan and urge the government to explore humane and innovative alternatives such as reducing wasteful expenditure and the high cost of governance, tackling corruption, and increasing taxes on luxury goods to fund the minimum wage. Any wage increase that hikes the fuel price is self-defeating.”
The CNG had been vindicated with the current realities as it has been advocating for resuscitating government-owned refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt and pressuring the government to downsize running cost of governance, corruption in the system and prioritizing essential needs of the country but Ajaero-led NLC assumed their solo struggle for salary raise will address their woes.
Therefore, we call on President Tinubu to listen to the voices of the people who elected him, to prioritize their welfare, and to demonstrate that his administration is one that cares for the common man.
The CNG cautions that accountability, transparency, and evidence-based policies must not be jettisoned to be upheld as democratic values upon which our democracy should thrive better.
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