Two separate groups have approached an Abuja Federal High Court asking it to compel President Goodluck Jonathan to completely remove subsidy on fuel.

The groups are Citizens Club (CC) and Initiative for Diaspora Knowledge Transfer (IDKT).

Both groups are arguing that what the subsidy regime is doing to the Nigerian economy is to create artificial imbalances, thereby allowing everyone to go into bunkering, raising private armies, jetty ownership, private and every other endavour antecedent to it.

Addressing a joint world press conference yesterday in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, both groups claimed that subsidy was only serving the interest of a few individuals to the detriment of the generality of Nigerians.

Coordinator of Citizens Club, Stanley Okeke, said instead of paying subsidy on fuel, the federal government should look at subsidising other areas of the economy such as agriculture, education, job creations, public transport system, health and soft loans.

“These are areas some of the programmes and initiatives we at Citizens Club have drawn up to effectively engage civil societies and the government so that we can have a way to approach issues that will better impact on a larger majority,” he said.

“Most importantly, the liberalisation of the petroleum sector will reduce government interference, and allow the federal government to focus on the business of governance, improving social services delivery and building infrastructures. That is why we went to court asking it to compel the president to totally remove subsidy on fuel,” Okezie added.

On his part, the global coordinator of IDKT, Prince Chidi Ibe, implored Nigerians to support the total removal of fuel subsidy, adding that that is the only way to starve the cabal, safeguard our economy, our democracy and the nation at large.

•Photoshows Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke.