The National Conscience Party, NCP, condemns in its entirety the current illegal, crude, callous and wicked 85% increment in the price of petrol and the effective devaluation of the naira by the Buhari – APC government on May 11 2016. This increment too defies all forms of logic. As at the time oil was going for over $112.00 in 2012, petrol went for N97.00, now that it is going for about $40.00 per barrel they want us to buy it for N145.00 per liter of petrol.
The way and manner the increment was carried out has all the hallmark of a coup. This is an
economic coup against the downtrodden masses and the overwhelming majority of Nigerians.
Our stances on this reactionary development are as follows:
First, as at May 7 2016, the mythical “subsidy” on petrol was placed at N12.62 according to the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) price template. All of a sudden by May 11 2016, the entire PPPRA template was changed and according to that template there was little or no “fuel subsidy” on petrol. Where did the N58.50 come from all of a sudden?
As we speak, the Vice President Osinbajo, still maintains that there is subsidy on petrol even at the hiked price of N145.00, effectively meaning that more price increments are still on the
agenda within the next weeks or few months.
What these developments point to is that the economic policies of this regime is not different
from the PDP and it defies all forms of reasonable logic. As within the past few weeks all the
agents of this APC regime have promised that by the time the budget is signed into law their
“change” agenda would begin and that by May there would be a final solution to the problem of fuel scarcity that has befalling the country since this government took over last year.
No normal person would have expected that 85% hike in petrol price was their much talked
about solution and from the current development it is clear that they have been planning this
wicked economic coup for some time now.
To many Nigerians, not us, they were shocked and awed by the current development. We are not surprised in any way as we know the antecedent of the APC.
Many had believed and trusted the earlier stances of President Buhari and many prominent
members of the APC on fuel price increment. Some of them were seen in the 2012 mass revolt against the fuel price increment. It is on record, that President Buhari had correctly asserted that there was never anything called fuel subsidy in Nigeria and in fact that anybody talking of fuel subsidy is a fraud. In addition, he had called for fuel price reduction not too long ago. They claimed that they removed “subsidy” on petrol in January 2016 leading to the reduction of price to N86.50 per liter. It is quite clear that this was a gimmick to increase the price today
Many Nigerians can also remember the statements of the APC during the 2015 elections where all manners of promises were made. Today all those promises were not only denied or cancelled, but the exact opposite of those promises are the things that the APC is offering.
The current hike in petrol price is the peak of their betrayal. It is clear that Nigerians have been duped and that the masses are definitely going to fight back like disappointed lions.
Liars like this APC government don’t deserve respect or further trust.
Till date, it is on record that President Buhari who is also holding on to the portfolio of substantive petroleum minister has not uttered a single word on the fuel crises that has intensified since last year.. Rather, the junior minister forpetroleum Ibe Kachikwu has been the one making all the dirty statements and talking down to Nigerians.
This is a typical ‘419’ method where there is a canvasser who does all the talking, while the sitter sits down comfortably as the canvasser carries on with the deceit.
The president’s deafening silence on these issues is clearly a reflection of total consent and
shame. The president’s absence at the National Executive Council meeting was obviously deliberate. The meeting was most likely planned to coincide with the so-called anti-corruption summit holding in UK. The impression they want to create is that the president was not responsible for this wicked increment.
We strongly believe that it is out of shame and the intention to carry out more anti-masses
programs that they want to maintain the pretentious myth around Buhari. This is like trying to
hide behind one’s fingers as the myth of a strong man, pro-masses, incorruptible, and no-
nonsense Buhari has already been ruptured within the past 12 months of been in power. It is a
busted myth.
This current increment is coming at a time when this regime had just hiked electricity tariff by 45%, put plans in place to bring back toll gates and increase Value Added Tax, VAT; it watched while several states government owe months of workers’ wages and even cut wages. The list of woes befalling the Nigerian working people and youth are limitless and getting worse by the day.
As the increment was announced, they also informed us that value of the naira now effectively at N285.00 to the dollar and that in the future the black market rate shall determine petrol price. This is nothing but an official and effective devaluation of the naira.
In fact, the confusion created by the irrational and IMF influenced somersault of this APC regime would provoke more anarchy and deepen the recession as the 2016 budget was based on an exchange rate of N199.00 to $1.00. It is important to note that the naira has further melted to N370.00 at the black market since the increment.
- Clearly, the Buhari – APC government has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that it is not in any way different from the PDP government that just got booted out. And that APC like the PDP is a party of the IMF and austerity.
The IMF inspired program of deregulation, liberalization, or whatever now been mouthed by the President Buhari’s spokesman on oil matter Ibe Kachikwu are already dead on arrival and would lead to much more crises and only enrich a handful of individuals and corporations.
As we speak, many petrol stations are selling above even the N145.00 official price, just like
what happened when it was N86.50 and it is a matter time before fuel scarcity returns and further increment imposed as the naira further melts down at the black market.
Only the most deluded elements can believe Kachikwu and APC chairman Oyegun that petrol prices would come down in 3 to 6 months.
We ask, where do Buhari and the APC expect the overwhelming impoverished majority to get money to pay for increased electricity tariff and petrol price? Overwhelming majority of Nigerians earn less than N50,000.00 per month with more than 50 percent unemployed.
What we have been having over the years have never been fuel subsidy withdrawal but crude
price increases and increment in government fuel taxes in order to pay external and internal debt, and bailout states. This increment is not in any way different.
The Real Subsidies
It is important that we expose that currently 18,000 political office holders round the country are currently earning a whopping N1.3 trillion as official emolument annually. For example, over N2 billion has been budgeted to be spent on past presidents and their vice, about 13 individuals in the 2016 budget. The monstrous pensions of several ex-governors run into billions too per year. Hundreds of billions is what senators, representatives, state assembly men, and councillors get per annum. These are the real subsidies.
A government of liars and promise breakers deserves no support respect or further trust. This is why we hereby pass a vote of no confidence on Buhari and his APC government. We maintain that nothing positive would come out of this regime. We have never had it so BAD!
We therefore declare our total support for the liberation struggle of the Nigerian masses and we shall give the political expression to this struggle.
We declare total support for the general strike declared by the two centers of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC.
We call on all NCP members both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to join and participate actively in the strike, street protests and movement.
- However, from experience, we are not unaware that top trade union leaders can betray the struggle, if that happens it can never affect the political struggle that the NCP is waging against this deceitful and anti-masses regime and social system.
We therefore demand for the total reversal of the hike in energy price – electricity tariff and petrol price.
We support a regulated and planned economy with supervision, transparency, democratic control and accounting as guiding principles, as opposed to deregulated anarchy put forward by APC and PDP inspired by the IMF.
We demand for reversal and probing of the privatization of the PHCN and other public corporation and utilities and probe of all bail out funds to these corrupt state governors but thoroughly mismanaged and looted by the various state governors>NO more bailout to these looter governors without accountability!
We stand for a government that defends the interest of the majority not the greedy interests of the handful elites and their imperialist master.
In solidarity!
Comrade Ayodele Akele
National General Secretary
National Conscience Party, NCP
08023276709
Wednesday,16th May2016