LAGOS THE pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere has condemned the recent hike in fuel prices, saying the reason given by the Federal Government for the increase has exposed the failure of the PDP-led government.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday in Lagos, the leader of
Afenifere, Senator Abraham Adesanya said, we have given due
consideration to the arguments for and against price hike as
formulated by the Federal Government and the workers respectively.
On our part, we are convinced that the 50 per cent increase in pump
price is unacceptable on all grounds.
We hereby declare that the price hike is unjustified because the
state and stereotyped argument that hiking the price will reduce
smuggling to neighbouring countries has proven illogical, unrealistic
and unimaginative.
We like to remind Nigerians that PDP government by resorting to
price hiking to prevent smuggling has proven itself incapable of
protecting the territorial borders and integrity of Nigeria. A
government that's worth its bidding should not attempt to
impose greater hardship on Nigerians as a result of its inability to
govern efficiently and effectively.
Afenifere further argued that resorting to a price hike to prevent
smuggling also amount to punishing the many who are innocent and poor
for the sins of the few who are greedy, criminal and rich.
Afenifere wishes to state clearly that after its very wide
consultations with experts and knowledgeable people, we are
recommending that Nigeria should immediately work out the modality for
the construction of fuel stations in all these West African
nations. Through the ECOWAS framework, it should not be difficult to
accomplish this recommendation because it will make petroleum
available to the ECOWAS counties at almost the same price with Nigeria
and it will reduce smuggling to a tolerable level.
Afenifere further reasoned that the price hike is insensitive while
the timing is immoral as political office holders have just awarded
themselves multi-million naira salaries.
The fact of the matter is that the Nigerian workforce has had its
plight worsened because even though the salary increase was about 35
per cent, the current 50 per cent hike in oil price has left an
average worker poorer now.
Afenifere also condemned the state pardon granted the former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives.
According to them, Afenifere regards the state pardon granted the
former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Salisu Buhari
at the same time with credible pro-democracy activists, journalists
and others who were framed up in the phantom coup saga of 1995 as
highly regrettable and unfortunate. We believe that the announcement
of the exercise of pardon for Buhari and those others amounted to
unacceptable derogation from the heroic struggle of these illegally
convicted Nigerians. Sufficient time has not elapsed between the
conviction and the pardon for Alhaji Buhari to show enough
remorse. This is political cynicism at its worst.
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