Subsidy Removal: Group Demands Crackdown On Hoarders

A pro-democracy and anti-sabotage group, The Natives, has demanded the revocation of licences of oil marketers sabotaging the subsidy removal by hoarding fuel across the country.

The Natives declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s action, saying the country cannot continue to waste over N400 billion on a few people monthly.

Tinubu’s declaration in his inaugural speech that “fuel subsidy is gone” because there was no provision for a fuel subsidy beyond June 2023 had led to fuel scarcity and hoarding across the country.

Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the supreme leader of The Natives, who is also the executive secretary of the Petroleum and Energy Related Matters Civil Society of Nigeria, Hon. Smart Edwards, advised Tinubu to reinvest the subsidy money on job creation, digital economy, healthcare, infrastructure, education, agriculture and incentives for the citizens among others.

The group, which comprises several ethnic groups, languages and tribes, with about 20 million members across the country, recalled how they rallied in the sun, stood in the rain, marched in defiance to any sabotage of the country and in defence of democratic sustainability.

“This is simply because we are an anti- sabotage organisation, Natives of all tribes and tongues, using our diversity to strengthen the common bond of our nation. It is therefore fit to defend the mandate freely given,” the group stated.

Edwards implored Nigerians to align with President Tinubu’s road map to Nigeria’s prosperity, noting that The Natives will engage the president meaningfully to ensure that the country is governed under the rule of law and for the prosperity of all Nigerians.

He said, “Mr. President, we heard you loud and clear, the budget that you have glimpsed and heard before assuming office makes no room for fuel subsidy, therefore fuel subsidy is gone.

“We want to state clearly that as citizens of Nigeria, we asked for it, we will not postpone any doomsday, as a matter of fact there is no doom,” Edwards said.