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Civil rights group have started to pour out their disappointment at the Muhammadu Buhari presidency following Wednesday’s removal of fuel subsidy and fuel price increase to N145 per litre.
Below is a release by one, Democracy Vanguard, making a “Clarion Call to the Barricades” and giving an indication that #OccupyNigeria, reminiscent of the 2012 episode, is looming.
It reads:
Fuel Price Hike, A Sure Way to ‘Buharicidal’ Self Combustion!
Finally the Buhari regime has launched its neoliberalism poisonous fangs against the already impoverished Nigerian masses that it deceptively promised not to suffer by its ‘Change’ mantra.
The recently announced official deregulation of petrol prices which puts pump price of petrol at N145 per litre smacks of insensitivity against the fact that the same government has come up umpteenth times to apologise to Nigerians for inflicting suffering and hardship on them by its harsh economic policies to revamp the dwindling economy
We recall vividly that removal of the so – called ‘oil subsidy’ or fuel hike was never in the campaign manifestoes of President Muhammadu Buhari or his political party, the All Progressive Congress, APC. In actual fact, since inception, government has continued to assure the nation that it would not increase pump price, hence the reason for unleashing NNPC price monitoring agencies and security agencies to arrest and seal defaulting petrol stations selling above N86/litre. So who is fooling who?
Government Fuel Supply Magic
No wonder the orchestrated artificial fuel supply crisis imposed on the nation by government and its conspirators in the past few months in order to frustrate Nigerians and made us surrender to contrived and obnoxious market forces. Now that Nigerians have seen through this grand conspiracy and insincerity of “Mr. Integrity”’ government, we hasten to add that this deliberate economic onslaught by Buhari and his team is a sure way to the regime’s political suicide – a “Buharicidal Self-Combustion with Petrol” and will be fully resisted by the Nigerian people so as not to burn the nation with itself
Organise and Mobilise Now!
The poor cannot continue to suffer for the economic crimes of corrupt politicians, fuel subsidy scammers and government officials (past and present), who are jointly responsible for the poor state of the nation’s economy.
This irresponsible further assault on agonizing Nigerians should be fully rejected and resisted in our tradition of mass actions through neighbourhood and street protests, workers’ strikes, and rallies as done to previous bad governments when they also launched similar anti – people economic policies like this fuel hike.
It is simply crazy, arrogant and unintelligent for Buhari’s government that has been wobbling and fumbling in policy formulation, direction and implementation for almost one year and with a yet to be implemented budget to ever think that launching further attack on peoples’ socio – economic well-being by fuel price hike is the next policy of change. Only an anti – poor, deaf and dumb, irresponsible and morally corrupt government that is barren of creative ideas on how to move the nation forward would add more yokes to the already over burden Nigerians at this period when prices and costs of food, transportation, electricity, housing, health care, education and other essentials of living have skyrocketed and unbearable. When states own workers arrears of salaries, when unemployment rate and inflation indices have reached an all-time high with no concrete solution in sight beyond government consistent appeals for patience and understanding from a dying populace
Where are the Recovered Loots?
We ask: what has government done with the over three trillion naira the government announced that it saved from implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA)? What has government done with the several billions of naira recovered from the Class Goodluck group of looters? And what is government doing with the marginal increase in revenue generation to the federation account from viable agencies of government like custom, immigration, port authority, FIRS? Why are Nigerians are not benefiting now except attacks and attacks?
Clarion Call to the Barricades
We hereby make a clarion call to the Nigerian people to go back to the barricades since Buhari government has fully and openly decided to follow the predator path of its failed predecessors by scapegoating the poor masses for the nation’s economic mess caused by the nation’s capitalist ruling class. Workers, transporters, students, youths, professionals, unemployed, principled civil society groups and trade unions, farmers, traders and artisans should mobilise, organize and struggle against this economic attack of this regime. Enough is Enough!
Our Votes must count for Good Governance Now!
Adeola Soetan
National Coordinator
Democracy Vanguard (DV)
08037207856