Price increase: Don’t squeeze people’s breathe, Afenifere tells FG

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to urgently put a halt to steps by some government institutions to jack up prices of commodities and services.

The organisation said such would further worsen the precarious situation of hapless Nigerians.

They spoke against the backdrop of the planned increase in electricity tariff and the introduction of fees for proof of ownership certificate for vehicle owners.

A spokesperson of the organisation, Comrade Jare Ajayi, stated that such steps taken lately by the Tinubu-led administration might have the potential of lifting Nigeria up in the medium and long term.

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However, it warned that there was “The need to ensure that the people are not squeezed out of breath before that good time comes, as it’s only a person who is wholesomely alive that would enjoy the largesse of tomorrow!”

It called on President Tinubu to checkmate steps capable of alienating his administration from the people.

Ajayi further urged him to be mindful of actions by government agencies that might be tantamount to sabotaging his good intentions.

He also faulted the recent directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for customers to supply their social media accounts.

According to him, this directive amounts to making members of the public ‘to pay’ for the failure and negligence of relevant organs of the government in carrying out their constitutionally assigned duties.

Faulting the reason of Discos for the planned increase in tariff on Naira exchange that went up from N441 to N750 per dollar, Ajayi wondered why service being rendered in Nigeria should be denominated in or predicated on US dollar.

“Is the energy they are distributing imported from the United States of America?”

He called on President Tinubu to stop the planned increase on electricity tariff and ensure that the increase is not effected secretly as had been done before.

 Afenifere spokesperson also asked Tinubu to stop the planned N1,000 proof of ownership levy and prevail on relevant arms of government to utilise information about Nigerians already in their purview as the new CBN directive is repetitive of what already exists in addition to its potential of being used to infringe on the privacy of Nigerians”.