The United Action Front of Civil Society has declared total support for thettwo-day warning Strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in protest against the untold hardship in the country foisted by the removal of fuel subsidy in the country.
The warning strike which is slated to begin on Tuesday (today), has become inevitable, in the light of the emerging realities, which have clearly shown that government is being deceptive and mercurial with its fuel subsidy removal regime, which has been characterised by flip flopping and uncertainty, the group stated.
“The leadership of the organised Civil Society therefore wishes to unequivocally decry these mindless policies of the federal government, which have further pushed millions of households that were hitherto managing to cope with their meagre incomes, below poverty line, therefore compelling our patriotic call on Nigerians in the public and private sectors to team up with the NLC in demanding the reversal of the asphyxiating policies being implemented unilaterally without justification or any concrete economic plan beyond making Nigerians to pay for the corrupt mismanagement of the subsidy scheme, which incidentally has been admitted by government itself.
“We also wish to reiterate that the so-called palliatives for the fuel subsidy removal being financed through a world bank loan to be paid back with interest by the Nigerian people, is another device by the ruling class to further fleece the already pauperised masses of the country in continuation of the culture of profligacy through which the Buhari administration plunged Nigeria into debt being serviced by over 90% of the Nation’s revenue. Rather than further push Nigeria deeper into bankruptcy; considering the fact that our Foreign Reserve is currently below 4 billion dollars, which marks the worse downturn in the history of the country’s economy, the Tinubu regime should be demanding accountability from those who mismanaged the fuel importation regime and depleted Nigeria’s Foreign Reserve to an abysmal level.
“The Tinubu administration clearly has no reasonable justification for insisting on arbitrary fuel price hike when those who pilfered the national treasury in the name of subsidy payment are walking the streets of Nigeria free; with some of them still calling the shot in the present administration.
“We make bold to challenge the Tinubu government to demand accountability for the fraudulent fuel subsidy payments and wasteful debt servicing policy of the preceding Buhari Administration, if it genuinely wishes to be taken seriously by Nigerians,” the said in a statement signed by Wale Okunniyi,
Head, National Coordinating Centre,
United Action Front of Civil Society.
