Resist Increase In Pump Price Of Petrol, CNPP Urges Nigerians

Petrol-StationThe Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) on Monday urged Nigerians to resist any plan of a possible increase in pump price of petrol.

The CNPP, which is the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country, warned of a possible hike in the price of petrol at a time it pointed out, Nigerian citizens can hardly afford one good meal a day.

It also urged Nigerians against putting their hope on organized labor for any reversal of a hike in pump price if the federal government eventually increases the price.

The Secretary General of CNPP, Chief Willy Ezugwu, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said that since 2012, it became obvious that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and their allied unions have not proven to be selfless partners with the poor masses in times of need and cannot be trusted at this time or even in the future.

“Former and present bosses of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have at one time or the other in recent times maintained that the price of fuel might have to be increased from the current rate of N145 per liter due to the rising exchange rate, Ezugwu said.

He said further: “But if President Muhammadu Buhari believes that he still has the goodwill that enabled him increase the pump price of fuel from N85.50 to N145, the administration must be joking. The Nigerian masses allowed the last fuel price hike because they never wanted the Buhari regime to have any excuse for failure. But today, it has become more obvious that the government has remained on the trial-and-error mode for 18months in office”.

Mr. Ezugwu said the CNPP is currently mobilizing leaders of the civil society groups for a mother-of-all resistance if the federal government increases the pump price of petrol at any time and that Nigerians should not be taken off guard.