By; AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party, has described the N617 per liter price of fuel endorsed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration as “a provocative exhibition of extreme insensitivity and callousness towards Nigerians”.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement, warned that the increased is worsening the already what he called “suffocating economic situation” under the APC and has the capability of triggering very serious crisis in the country if not abated.
He stated, “It is appalling that instead of seeking ways to stabilize and grow the economy, the APC administration has abandoned the welfare of Nigerians which is the primary purpose of Government under Section 14 (2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and left the citizens to the vagaries of market forces and exploitative cabal; a disposition that is characteristic of a government that is not accountable to the people.”
The PDP, the statement explained that it is alarmed that with its ill-thought out, badly planned and hurriedly-executed polices, the APC is running Nigeria’s economy aground with the value of naira rapidly plummeting, businesses and production shutting down; citizens losing their means of livelihood, commercial and social activities crippled, with millions of families no longer able to afford their daily needs as the costs of food, medication and other essential goods and services continue to skyrocket.
According to PDP, the present dire situation comes as a consequence of APC’s insensitivity, seething corruption, scandalous cluelessness and lack of capacity to effectively steady and manage the nation’s economy.
PDP further explained that it is not the nation that Nigerians yearned for after what it described “the abysmal, harrowing and inhuman eight years of the Buhari-led APC administration”, saying that the situation has currently gone from a frightening bad to a terrifying worse with no hope in sight.
PDP, therefore, dismissed APC’s “insensitive and lame argument” of market forces and comparison of price of fuel in Nigeria with those of other countries that have functional infrastructure, variety of affordable alternative transportation system and sources of energy; strong currency and where citizens earn far higher than what obtains in Nigeria.
The Party insisted that the N617 per liter of fuel is excessive, unacceptable and cannot be justified under any guise, pointing out that it is especially given the economic potentials and prospects within the country.
Even with the removal of subsidy on petroleum products, the PDP maintained that with a deft, transparent and innovative management of resources, economic potentials, national comparative advantage and expanded value chain in refining capacity, fuel should not sell for more than N150 per liter in Nigeria.
