Northern Groups Reject Increase In Fuel Price, Warn Of Consequences

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has rejected the latest unjustifiable increase in fuel prices by the federation government across the country.

In a statement yesterday, the national coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, said that an increase in fuel prices is tantamount to artificially raising the prices of goods and services in the country because of fuel’s centrality to the economy and the domino effects that naturally resonate such a jerk up.

The statement reads, “It is imperative to remind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that Nigerians did not vote for the Group Managing Director of the NNPCL or any other unelected official. The people elected him as President, and it is expected that he will govern with compassion, empathy, and a deep understanding of the hardships faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“We have credible reports indicating that in some states, fuel prices have already surged to an outrageous N1,400 per litre. This is unacceptable and a direct assault on the economic well-being of the masses, who are already grappling with soaring inflation, unemployment, and pervasive insecurity.

“The CNG warns that this reckless policy will have severe consequences for the Tinubu administration, as the trust and patience of the Nigerian people are wearing thin. This price hike lacks democratic consideration and reflects a disconnect between the government and the people.

“Democracy, ideally, is supposed to be, in practice, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. However, this constant fuel price raise policy is anti-people and anti-democratic, which spells doom for the administration and the remnant of any goodwill. If the government truly believes in the principles of democracy, it must urgently reconsider this policy and take immediate steps to retract to avert further suffering of the masses.

“Undoubtedly, data from the government-owned National Bureau of Statistics and other authoritative organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Bank and African Development Bank have confirmed that millions of Nigerians are deeply entangled in poverty and food insecurity, which portend dire consequences for the country. Hence, this latest stretch of Nigeria’s credulity will certainly accentuate further breeding of multidimensional poverty and hunger, which would not augur well for the country and the administration.”

In the same vein, the CNG condemned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for contributing to the current avoidable circumstance by promoting the personal selfish interests of its president, Joe Ajaero, for his political ends.

“Nigerians may recall that the CNG had been cautioning in the last five years that salary increase without addressing underlying root causes of our woes will only aggravate our problems.

“It may be recalled that on July 20, the CNG, in a press conference in Abuja, warned that ‘We are sceptical of the federal government’s plan to increase the fuel price further to fund the new national minimum wage.

“We reject this plan and urge the government to explore humane and innovative alternatives such as reducing wasteful expenditure and the high cost of governance, tackling corruption, and increasing taxes on luxury goods to fund the minimum wage. Any wage increase that hikes the fuel price is self-defeating.’”

The CNG said it had been vindicated by the current realities as it has been advocating for resuscitating government-owned refineries in Kaduna, Warri, and Port Harcourt and pressuring the government to downsize the running cost of governance, corruption in the system, and prioritizing the country’s essential needs. However, the Ajaero-led NLC assumed their solo struggle for a salary raise would address their woes.