•Task Tinubu to remove executive corruption, not subsidy

By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The United Action Front of Civil Society (UAFCS) has declared total support for the two-day warning strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

The group explained that the protest is against the untold hardship in the country foisted by the Tinubu Administration through its unilateral and phoney removal of fuel subsidy, as well as its concomitant arbitrary hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The group in a statement signed by ’Wale Okunniyi, Head, National Coordinating Centre, United Action Front of Civil Society and made available to News Express explained that the warning strike slated to start on Tuesday, September 5, has become highly inevitable, in the light of the emerging realities, which have clearly shown that government was being deceptive and mercurial with its fuel subsidy removal regime, characterised by flip-flopping and uncertainty.

The Civil Society group decried the mindless policies of the federal government, which it not noted, have further pushed millions of households that were hitherto managing to cope with their meagre incomes, below poverty line.

It stressed that the current situation has compelled it to make the 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.

The statement added: "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.

“Again, It speaks to barefaced insincerity for government to subject the citizens to harrowing hardship in the name of fuel subsidy removal and currency floating, which are all conceived in the desperation to extort innocent Nigerians in recouping the huge sums of revenues that have been wasted through poor policy and outright stealing by high profile individuals which should not be beyond being called to account and prosecuted.

“It should also be curious that the federal government has commenced disbursements of palliative funds to state Governors while it remains silent on the review of minimum wage it promised to Nigerian workers to cushion the effects of subsidy removal. With the minimum wage remaining at N30,000 monthly, Nigerian workers who were grossly underpaid before the hike in fuel price can no longer cope with the harrowing hardship in the country just as millions of unemployed citizens across the states have now been grossly impoverished.

“To this end, the leadership of the United Action Front of Civil Society urges the working people to comply with the directive of the NLC, while the masses of the Nigerian civil society demonstrate support for Labour by holding complimentary mass action to draw home their displeasure about the inhuman treatment of Nigerian citizens through sudden, unilateral removal of fuel subsidy based on ill-conceived economic policies of government.”

The group further described subsidy removal and palliative as another device of the ruling class to fleece impoverished Nigerians.