The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has strongly condemned the recent hike in fuel prices announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The group described the over 40 percent increase in fuel prices across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as unjustifiable and harmful to the nation’s economy.
In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, on Thursday, the CNG expressed concern over the immediate and long-term effects of the price surge on Nigerians.
Charanchi warned that the hike, which has seen fuel prices soar to ₦1,400 per liter in some states, would inevitably lead to skyrocketing costs of goods and services, exacerbating inflation, poverty, and unemployment.
“It is important to remind President Tinubu that Nigerians elected him, not the Group Managing Director of NNPCL or any other unelected official. The President must govern with empathy and an understanding of the hardships faced by the people,” the statement read.
The CNG cautioned that the continued rise in fuel prices, which lacks democratic consideration, signals a disconnect between the government and the people.
The group warned that such policies, if not reconsidered, could further erode public trust in the administration and aggravate the suffering of the masses.
The group also criticized the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for failing to address the underlying causes of the country’s economic challenges, accusing its president, Joe Ajaero, of pursuing personal political interests at the expense of the Nigerian people.
“Nigerians may recall that the CNG had been cautioning in the last five years that salary increase without addressing underlying root causes of our woes will only aggravate our problems.
” It may be recalled that on July 20, the CNG, in a press conference in Abuja warned that ‘We are skeptical of the federal government’s plan to further increase the fuel price in order to fund the new national minimum wage. We reject this plan and urge the government to explore humane and innovative alternatives such as reducing wasteful expenditure and the high cost of governance, tackling corruption, and increasing taxes on luxury goods to fund the minimum wage. Any wage increase that hikes the fuel price is self-defeating.’
“The CNG had been vindicated with the current realities as it has been advocating for resuscitating government-owned refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt and pressuring the government to downsize running cost of governance, corruption in the system and prioritizing essential needs of the country but Ajaero-led NLC assumed their solo struggle for salary raise will address their woes.
“It is unfortunate that the NLC had sacrificed foresight and vision to satisfy the desperation and personal aggrandizement of Ajaero who specializes in manipulation and playing with the peoples intelligence to quench his sundry ambitions.
” Regrettably, it is Nigerians that are at the receiving end of the catastrophic outing of the NLC and the inhumane treatment from the Government through shouldering the burden of rooftop prices of goods and services as fuel had already crossed N1, 400 per litre in some places while basic grocery goods and essential food staples have gone up instantly.
“Therefore, we call on President Tinubu to listen to the voices of the people who elected him, to prioritize their welfare, and to demonstrate that his administration is one that cares for the common man.
” The CNG cautions that accountability, transparency, and evidence-based policies must not be jettisoned to be upheld as democratic values upon which our democracy should thrive better, ” the statement added.
