The Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) has kicked against the recent increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
NACAT condemned the hike and demanded an end to what it describes as the imposition of toxic economic hardships.
DAILY POST reported Tuesday that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) increased the pump price of petrol from its initial N617 to N855 per litre. Other private retailers now sell above N900.
This development has further worsened the economic hardship in the country, with prices of food items, transportation, and other basic needs moving farther out of reach for the ordinary man.
NACAT, in a statement made available to the media on Wednesday, said it was with rude shock that it received what it further described as a surreptitious, abrupt, and unconscionable hike in the price of PMS.
DAILY POST reports that the new prices have been applied across the board, and independent filling stations across the country have further exacerbated the situation by selling petrol for between N950 and N1,000 per litre, with Abuja being among the hardest-hit areas.
“We see this latest increase, coming on the heels of the relentless economic torment inflicted on Nigerians by the current administration, as nothing short of a betrayal of the public trust,” the statement signed by Stanley Ugagbe, NACAT’s Operations Manager, added.
“It is an egregious affront to the collective well-being of the Nigerian people, who have already been subjected to untold hardships by a series of failed policies.
“The government’s cavalier attitude towards the suffering of the masses is deeply troubling and unacceptable. We are appalled by revelations from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that this hike in fuel prices directly contradicts the understanding reached with the government regarding the N70,000 minimum wage.
“The NLC has made it clear that the decision to accept the N70,000 minimum wage was predicated on the promise that PMS prices would remain stable.
“As Nigerians, we recall the President’s infamous ultimatum, which forced the NLC to choose between two devastating options: a N250,000 minimum wage with fuel prices between N1,500 and N2,000, or a N70,000 minimum wage at the old PMS rates.
“The NLC chose the latter, only to be met with this shocking betrayal barely a month later, and before the government had even begun paying the new minimum wage.
“As a leading anti-corruption and trafficking body, we state clearly that corruption thrives where poverty prevails. We know very well that with the increment of fuel, everything in the country will immediately skyrocket in prices, giving room for civil servants and public office holders to steal more in order to cover up the cost of things.
“This will enable even the Nigerian Police, notorious for taking bribes, to demand higher bribes from Nigerians, who, if they refuse to pay the higher sum, will likely be arrested on false charges or even killed in the process and then labeled criminals.
“We are troubled that this administration, which ascended to power on the promise of ‘Renewed Hope,’ has instead become a thorn in the flesh of the Nigerian people.
“The barrage of draconian and wicked policies being rolled out has left citizens gasping for air. This government has seemingly forgotten that it was a culmination of such bad policies and the resulting hardship that fueled the recent nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
“Under the APC government, Nigerians have been subjected to an endless cycle of troubles and afflictions. The biblical analogy is not lost on us—this is akin to King Rehoboam’s infamous declaration that he would scourge the Israelites with scorpions, a decision that ultimately led to the division of the kingdom.
“In a similar vein, this government’s continued oppressive policies threaten to divide and devastate the very fabric of our nation.
“NACAT unequivocally rejects this hike in fuel prices and demands an immediate reversal. We call on all Nigerians to rise in their might, to speak out, and to reject this continued imposition of toxic economic hardships that could push our nation into an irredeemable abyss.
“This government’s history of unaccountability since its inception is a matter of grave concern. It has repeatedly demonstrated an unfathomable level of impunity, incompetence, and reckless corruption, all while imposing the most severe economic hardships on Nigerians since the amalgamation of this nation in 1914.
“After enduring the afflictions and hardships of the previous administration under President Muhammadu Buhari, who led Nigeria into two crushing economic depressions and the ignominious status of the world’s poverty capital, we had hoped that the APC government under President Bola Tinubu would display some measure of empathy and sensitivity.
“Unfortunately, it has proven to be even more determined to inflict further pain on our already beleaguered citizens. Was this what Tinubu meant when he said he would continue from where Buhari stopped? Was this what he also meant when he said he would reduce the people’s purchasing power?
“NACAT stands resolute in its condemnation of this fuel price hike and all other policies that continue to impoverish and punish Nigerians. We will not rest until justice is served, and the rights and dignity of every Nigerian are upheld.”
Hike in fuel price: Your renewed hope now thorn in flesh of Nigerians – NACAT to Tinubu