Fuel Price Hike/ Electricity Tariff Increase: Nigeria Rolling On Slippery Slope

By Chris Otaigbe

Civil society group, Do Your Job Initiative Nigeria (DYJIN), has warned that Nigeria is rolling on a slippery rope with the recent hike in fuel price and electricity tariffs.

DYJIN gave this warning in a statement signed by its Executive Secretary Ebere Ijere-Gomwalk on Thursday.

Recall that Nigerians had reacted with disgust over the dramatic increase in the prices of the utilities.

And DYJIN says it rejects in entirety any attempt to further make life unbearable and miserable for Nigerians.

It said governments, all over the world, are busy creating palliatives for their citizens and businesses to survive.

The group, however, warned the Federal Government to reverse the hike or be ready for a backlash from Nigerians.

Read the full statement below:

Recent increases in the price of fuel and tariff of electricity consumption have further endangered Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
At swearing-in in 2015, Muhammadu Buhari inherited N87/litre for petrol and N30/kilowatts for electricity. Today, we would now be paying N151 (at NNPC retail outlets) and N162 at non-NNPC outlets. While electricity has been increased to N60 per kilowatt and threatening to increase further.

What is sad and worrying is the fact that President Buhari issued a directive that insists on MASS METERING, categorically instructing ‘NO TARIFF INCREASE ‘ Going ahead to increase the tariff is a DIRECT DEFIANCE of a Presidential directive. So, if they can DEFY the President and Commander-In-Chief, SURELY, the people can equally defy their devilish directives.

Coming at a time when Nigerians have been drained to death by a damaging pandemic, these price increases are a manifestation of the HEARTLESS attitude people in government have against their fellow Nigerians.

Do Your Job Initiative Nigeria (DYJIN) hereby REJECTS in its entirety, any ATTEMPT to further make life unbearable and miserable for Nigerians.

Governments, all over the world, are busy creating palliatives for their citizens and businesses to survive.

Governments are making SACRIFICES out of COMPASSION for citizens because of the destruction they have suffered from Coronavirus pandemic.

Sadly, in Nigeria, citizens are being inflicted with worse whips that throw them deeper into the valley of poverty and deprivation. The rate of suicide is on the increase, over 80 million or more Nigerian families now WALLOW in excruciating poverty.

While a larger percentage of Nigerians, especially our youths, are either out of work or unemployed.

Tens of millions of Nigerians are HOMELESS; many more can no longer afford a good meal, or neither do they know from where their next meal will come.

With all of these, surely, Nigerians cannot be happy, and the government will be deluding itself if it believes these HARSH policies should be well received by the citizens.

The situation is dire, and the state of the nation is not good.

If these prices are not REVERSED and REDUCED further from where they were before the new increases, Nigeria, as we know it, maybe on its way to ANARCHY as those who want the country to slip into chaos… We CANNOT afford it!!!

ISIS is WAITING in the wings to see Nigerians file onto the streets, in mass protest and possible uprising for them to infiltrate and implement their terrorist agenda on a more metropolitan scale especially taking advantage of the revolt to spread their terrorism in the South.

In other words, any government official who puts out policies that are glaringly ANTI-PEOPLE, senseless and needless, knowing people’s reaction may open the door wider for insecurity and possible insurgency should be deemed to be in connivance with dangerous elements and ISIS operatives to DESTABILIZE the country.

Therefore, we want to DRAW the attention of President, and all Patriots in, Buhari’s government, to view these HARSH policies as measures laden with ulterior motives to indirectly OPEN the DOOR for ISIS elements to plan and execute a free and unhindered attack on Nigerians…

Using ‘people’s revolution as the perfect environment.

DYJIN is hereby calling on Nigerians, who will be responding and showing their resentment through street protests, to guard their ranks and protect their protest by adopting a nonviolent response.

Finally, Nigerians are already tired of democracy because a larger majority of politicians and political office holders have taken advantage of their votes to get into office and ENRICH themselves and their generations..

Read Also: Yoruba Ronu Group Advises President Buhari Against ‘Self-Glorification’

They are tired. They are HUNGRY, and they are ANGRY.

If we must preserve this democracy, the government MUST be SENSITIVE to the NEEDS and feelings of the people..

If the government do not want the Mali situation to happen in Nigeria, it must RISE to its responsibility towards its citizens.

Government MUST do its job of attending to the welfare of Nigerian citizens and generating resources and ideas that would lift Nigeria out of perpetual poverty into PERMANENT PROSPERITY.

By Chris Otaigbe