BREAKING NEWS, Oil & Gas
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WITH the rumour making the rounds of a possible increase in pump price of petrol, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, on Monday, November 7, warned of the imminent consequences of any such plan at a time an average Nigerian citizen can hardly afford one good meal a day.
The CNPP, which is the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country, also counselled the citizens never to put their hope on labour unions in Nigeria for any reversal of a hike in pump price if the federal government eventually should go ahead with increase in pump price of fuel.
In a statement signed by Willy Ezugwu, its secretary general, the CNPP said that since 2012, it had become obvious that the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and their allied unions had proved that they could no longer be trusted to fight for the masses.
It said: “The only hope for the ordinary citizen in the country at a time like this is the CNPP and its coalition of civil society groups.
“Since the rumour of fuel price hike began to make the rounds, observable body language of some government officials as well as their statements point to the fact that the increment is sure to come if the ordinary people did not resist the plan.
“More so, former and present bosses of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have at one time or the other in recent times maintained that the price of fuel might have to be increased from the current rate of N145 per litre due to the rising exchange rate.
“The CNPP is currently mobilising leaders of the civil society groups for a mother-of-all resistance if the federal government dares to increase the pump price of petrol at any time.
“Nigerians should not be taken unawares at this time. Those who are conversant with the antics of the current administration know that any time such rumour and the attendant denials by the federal government begin, the time for the increment is nearer than imagined.
“But if President Muhammadu Buhari believes that he still has the goodwill that enabled him increase the pump price of fuel from N85.50 to N145, the administration must be joking.
“The Nigerian masses allowed the last fuel price hike because they never wanted the Buhari regime to have any excuse for failure. But today, it has become more obvious that the government has remained on the trial-and-error mode for 18months in office.
“Therefore, we join well meaning Nigerians and the masses of this country to say no to another fuel price hike. The CNPP is set to lead the struggle at this time and the resistance shall be total.”
— Nov 7, 2016 @ 16:18 GMT
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