The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejects an increase in the pump price
of fuel to N170 per liter by the All Progressives Congress (APC)
government, describing it as wicked, unbearable and unacceptable,
particularly given the prevailing excruciating economic crunch already
foisted on Nigerians by the Buhari administration.
The party insists that this increase in the pump price will worsen the
already suffocating economic situation in the country.
Such hike will also be an additional log tied on the economic neck of
Nigerians.
The PDP holds that the APC and its administration have no justification
to increase the cost of fuel to anything above N100 per liter talk less
of N170, when there are practical options to maintain affordable price
given our production capacity and potentialities.
It is evident that the continuous increase in the pump price of fuel
under opaque and nebulous indices is a product of incompetence and large
scale corruption being perpetrated by a few individuals in the Buhari
administration, who are bent on fleecing Nigerians and holding our
nation to ransom.
Our party notes that the APC administration has failed to come clean on
the parameters being used for the hike in prices vis-a-vis our
production, export and accruing revenue.
Indeed, the APC administration is not being honest with Nigerians
regarding the status and volume of oil production, sales and accruing
revenue.
This is in addition to its failure to fix our refineries and end crude
oil theft, allegedly to aid APC interests.
This appears to provide answers to why the APC administration has failed
to offer any explanation on huge fraud going on in the management of our
nation’s oil resources including the alleged stealing over N9.6 trillion
($25 billion) by APC interests, as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo.
It has also failed to publish details of its sleazy oil subsidy regime,
including the involvement of APC interests in the claimed under-recovery
for unnamed West African countries, running into trillions of naira,
while Nigerians are made to bear the burden of high fuel costs.
Such humongous fraud in the management of our oil resources is
responsible for the high costs and unspeakable hardship being suffered
by millions of Nigerians who can barely afford their meals and basic
necessities of life.
Our party urges President Buhari to end the corruption and the stealing
of our oil resource under his watch by APC leaders, recover the looted
resources and immediately reverse this increase in price of fuel.
President Buhari should also take steps to fulfill his promise to revamp
our refineries or accept his failures and apologize to Nigerians.
It is still not yet late for him to get more competent hands to run our
oil sector instead of imposing more hardship on Nigerians.
