Civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of revisionism and playing a dangerous game with the lives of Nigerians by the recent outrageous hikes in the pump prices of fuel and electricity.

The rights group said its response was against the backdrop of the claim by the Presidency that the increments were patriotic, adding that it is cruel for the Federal Government to impose punitive price hikes at the time millions of Nigerians are bearing the brunts of the economic loses brought upon them by the Covid-19 lockdown that greeted the emergence of the health emergency. HURIWA stated that history is not fraudulent but accurately represents the heartbeat of the time, noting that on no account will any historical events of the last five years vindicate the vindictive, mischievous, cruelest, clueless and anti-people policies that have been unleashed on Nigerians by the President Buhari-led administration.

The rights group reminded the President that as the leading political opponent of the then President Goodluck Jonathan administration, he was at the forefront of the well-orchestrated and heavily induced opposition to the move by the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to stop the subsidy an fuel.

“How can the same person who joined others to spearhead national protests against planned withdrawal of petrol subsidy only few years back be the same person blaming that government of lacking courage in not withdrawing the fuel subsidy that he crippled not until the planned policy was dropped? This is a show of dishonesty and cruelty.

“Can we tell President Buhari that revisionism is an attribute of cruelty and the decision to impose further hardships on the already impoverished and oppressed populace at this time all other nations of the World are rolling out remedial economic subsidies to revive private businesses of citizens buffeted by the consequences of Covid-19 lockdown, is nothing short of absolute wickedness.”

HURIWA therefore tasked the President “to read the Constitution which he swore an oath to keep, adding that there are a plethora of provisions obliging the President and other public office holders to avoid cruelty in the execution of public policy since public policies are to be guided by public good.”

The rights group therefore asked Nigerians to publicly protest against these impositions.

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