The National Consultative Front, NCFront, the platform of the Big Tent for Nigerian Citizens, Stakeholders and Pro Democracy Movements of the organised Civil Society of Nigeria; working for a New Nigeria, has expressed sadness on the socio-economic challenges that have trailed the recent removal of fuel subsidy, demanding for reversal of the action.
The position of the body, also otherwise known as the 3rd Force Movement of Nigeria, is contained in a press statement signed by its Director General, Olawale Okunniyi.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu Tuesday announced that the controversial fuel subsidy “is gone”. Since the announcement, long queues have returned to petrol stations in many States, with the product being sold at skyrocket prices.
The Nigerian National Corporation Limited NNPCL has also announced a different upward review of fuel pump prices in various States.
However, NCFront faulted the policy, alleging that phantom removal of petroleum subsidy, “which was conspiratorially and vindictively designed with the outgone Buhari’s regime” was meant to punish the Nigerian Masses and Youths for not supporting them during the 2023 elections.
Okunniyi stated: “We, as the conscience and Vanguard of the Nigerian Civil Society, who spearheaded the struggle for the restoration of the present Democratic Rule being currently discredited and desecrated by Nigerian rulers, can no longer watch, while our collective resolve and patrimony as Citizens and Stakeholders in Nigeria are being continually decimated and mortgaged by a small clique of political exploiters, who have captured the Nigerian State through their infamous highest bidder politics for the purpose of foisting their self serving policies on the mass of the people of Nigeria.
“That extent, we wish to warn the rulers of Nigeria that as Leaders and Conscience of the Nigerian Civil Society, we will no longer tolerate any anti democratic agenda of government, as the Nigerian people and youths shall henceforth be mobilised to confront, any unilateral government policies imposed on the people in any part of the country without adequate consultations with the Citizens and the Civil Society of Nigeria, with very serious mass action the likes that will keep tongues wagging in the annals of mass resistance in Nigeria.
“It must therefore be strongly noted that we are determined to bring to an end a situation, where the rulers of Nigeria, without scruples, choose to ride roughshod on the will and wellbeing of the people in flagrant breach of the country’s so called Constitutional Democracy. To this end, we call on the government of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately review and reverse the newly foisted outrageous prices of petrol announced by the NNPC in line with its illogical subsidy removal on petroleum products; a policy precipitately foisted on Nigerians without any alternative economic solace to ameliorate its paupering effects on already impoverished Nigerians”.
The 3rd Force contended that the reversal it demanded should be carried out by the Nigerian Presidency within the next 48 hours, so that the present pain and suffering inflicted on the mass of Nigerians via government induced fuel crisis would not be allowed to persist beyond 48 hours without concrete solutions in avoiding a massive showdown with the Nigerian masses and youths.
It restated that the move was obviously a “phantom” as our investigations have proven that there was no more subsidy on petroleum products in Nigeria for a long time now and even if there is subsidy to be removed, has Nigerian government ever used Nigerian revenue for the benefit of the Nigerian people? Again, the subsidies removed on Diesel, kerosene and Gas how have they benefited Nigerians?”
“The point is that Government has always embezzled and mismanaged such monies. Again, if subsidy is being genuinely removed, why should the government still be the one determining the prices of petroleum products through its Agency, the NNPC in a so called deregulation of the oil sector? Is it not the market forces that should determine the prices of petroleum products? So, this government action only appear to us as an audacious ploy to further exploit the people!
“We also make bold to state that, as the vanguard of the organised civil society of Nigeria, we shall have no alternative than to provide leadership for a massive people’s showdown on this matter, if government fails to heed our popular demand since their unilateral punitive action of government in this regard, is to us, a blatant call for self help from the Nigerian masses, in which case the people will be compelled to enforce their collective and popular will, by any means necessary, against the present clique rule in Nigeria.
“To this end, in saving Nigeria and defending our exploited common patrimony, we hereby direct all our allies and affiliates to immediately embark on massive mobilisation and consultations with well-meaning citizens and stakeholders in rallying immediate solidarity to save the toiling and working people of Nigeria from the present misrule in Nigeria” NCFront warned.
Still, Okunniyi vowed that if clique rule continues, those in power and their associates nationwide will have to contend with public embarrassments from Nigerians until they are able to correct their ills and atone for their conspiracy against the popular will and wellbeing of the Nigerian masses and youths percent to 7.22
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