Fuel Subsidy: Reverse your pronouncement, Group Tells Tinubu

A group operating under the banner Free Nigerian Movement, has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s immediate announcement of subsidy removal.

In his inaugural speech on Monday, President Bola Tinubu had announced that fuel subsidy “is gone”.

Shortly after President Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy on petrol otherwise known as fuel, queues returned in major petrol stations across the country, especially in Lagos and Abuja.

Daily Trust reports that the federal government had on Wednesday removed fuel subsidy and subsequently hiked the price of petroleum from N195 per litre to N540 per litre.

At a press briefing Thursday in Abuja, Moses Paul, the group’s convener, who spoke on their behalf said the President’s action amounts to inflicting a fresh round of pains, suffering, and misery on Nigerians.

Paul said: “The president, whose ascension to power awaits confirmation by the courts, has by this pronouncement inspired the longstanding greed in the petroleum industry with the NNPC Limited shamelessly leading the way by its immediate release of upwardly reviewed pump price of between N488 and N557 in a nearly 200% nationwide hike.

“This is an uncharitable move given the enormity of anguish experienced by Nigerians during the currency crunch of the Naira Redesign Policy barely three months ago. Add this to the trauma of INEC’s misappropriation of public trust, and what you have is a nation gasping for life.

“We cannot continue to round the circle of pain. We must find a way out of a vicious existence where the worst or the best never happens. Nigeria must grow high and above individuals and institutions that attend only to the needs of a privileged few. This is our country and must respond to all as it does to some.

“We frown at this unsavory pronouncement of subsidy removal by the new government, which is essentially placing a pending decision on all petitions at the Presidential Election Tribunal Court. We call for the immediate reversal of this pronouncement, the failure of which we shall begin national protests within the next seven days.”