The Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM), Northern Nigeria Chapter, has condemned the recent fuel price increase announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The pump price, which skyrocketed from N770.54 per litre to N1,200 per litre, has sparked outrage, with NPFM warning of dire consequences on the economy and increased hardship for the masses, particularly in northern Nigeria, where insecurity is already rampant.
NPFM, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kano on Thursday signed by Comrade Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu, called on Nigerians from different social movements, civil society organisations, teachers unions, professional and community groups among others to unite for a peacful protest to push for reversal of some government policies.
“To have raised the already high petrol pump price from N770.54 per litre to a new rate of N1200 per litre, beyond the reach of most people, is to sabotage the economy, increase extreme poverty, and escalate insecurity across the country, especially in the north, where Boko Haram insurgents, bandits and kidnappers are on the rise”, he said.
The movement demands “reversal of all federal government’s policies that have exacerbated or led to fuel price hike, high food prices, high bank interest rates, high cost of electricity, high level of insecurity, particularly in the North.”
It added that it is concerned with the growing food insecurity in Nigeria, pointing to alarming statistics showing that 22 million people faced food shortages last year. NPFM projects that this number could rise to 83 million by 2030 if the government fails to address economic and social challenges.
NPFM criticized President Tinubu’s administration for focusing on foreign investment rather than prioritizing the welfare of Nigerian citizens, accusing the government of aligning more with international corporate interests than with its own people.
“But we will not sit back and be enslaved by rulers who are demonstrating more loyalty to London, Washington, and Paris than they are to the homeland. The president must visit and interact with the people in each geopolitical zone of Nigeria to see, hear, listen and learn from the masses, instead of turning Paris and Dubai into his luxury yachts”, it reiterated.
In a rallying call, NPFM urged various social and professional groups, from unions to community-based organizations, to unite in peaceful protests demanding the reversal of anti-people policies, including the fuel price hike, high food costs, and rising electricity tariffs.
The group also called for the re-nationalization of key sectors like petroleum and electricity to stabilize the economy.
They further decried the government’s harsh response to protests and emphasized their commitment to exercising their constitutional rights to peaceful demonstrations.
NPFM is considering October 1st, 2024, as the date for what it promises to be the largest peaceful protest in Nigeria’s history, aimed at ending bad governance and reclaiming the country from corrupt leadership.
“Nigeria is not for sale,” declared NPFM, reiterating their pledge to fight for social justice, development, and freedom for all citizens.
