By Sani Idris
The Arewa Citizens Watch for Good Governance, (ACWGG), a watchdog group advocating good governance, says it will hold massive protests on Aug. 3 against fuel subsidy removal.
The group said the protest was to show dissatisfaction with the leadership of the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Mele Kyari, and also called for his sack.
Addressing a news conference on Sunday in Kaduna, the Publicity Secretary of the group, Aminu Abbas, said the recent increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, has led to widespread hunger in Northern part of the country.
Abbas recalled the artificial fuel scarcity in 2022 and early 2023 which led to a build-up of queues in filling stations.
“Miraculously, the queues disappeared immediately after the 2023 general elections.
“The endemic and systemic corruption that the corporation is known for encouraged the racketeering in the defunct subsidy administration which ended up lining the pockets of major marketers with petrol-dollars.”
He said this further reduced resources available for the usage of the common people.
Abbas explained that most Nigerians believed that the forces behind the scarcity and unwarranted increase in the price of PMS were working against the interest of President Bola Tinubu, saying such notion ended up boomeranging.
“The dark forces took the fight to another dimension by persuading the then President-elect to announce the removal of the subsidy without carrying out a proper situation analysis.
“This, we believe was done to punish poor Nigerians who willingly voted for President Tinubu. Indeed, Nigerians are serving the artificial punishment which is reminiscent of the hard training our armed forces undergo.
“We are afraid that should the tribunal and Supreme Court Justices order for a rerun election today, we doubt if the president can survive it,” he said.
The Publicity Secretary perceived the termination of the subsidy regime, where the NNPCL was planning to re-award Pipeline Surveillance Contract to the Tompolo-owned Tantita Security Company.
According to him, it was a deliberate way of passing vote of no confidence on the Armed Forces, who are working tirelessly to ensure that Nigerians are able to sleep with their two eyes closed.
Abbas, therefore, noted that on that premise, the group was mobilizing its members to converge at the NNPCL Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, “to commence mass civil action that will force the NNPCL supreme ruler to either step aside or be sacked by President Tinubu.”
“We understand that things are very tough for our compatriots. They either come out to protest their way to freedom or stay home to acquire stomach ulcer which might lead to their ultimate end,” he said.
He called on security agencies to mobilize their men to give the group the necessary protection, noting that “we will only exercise our inalienable rights to peaceful protest.
