Nigerians Deserve Further Reduction in Fuel Price, Says PDP

Nigerians Deserve Further Reduction in Fuel Price, Says PDP

POLITICS DIGEST – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to further reduce the pump price of fuel from  N125 per liter.

The PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said owing to  the fall of price of crude in the international market to below $30 per barrel, the appropriate domestic price for fuel should be between N80 to N90 per liter.

The opposition party said a new price template should be immediately implemented to ease the economic burden on Nigerians and further serve as palliative from  the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said any further delay in the reduction of the pump price of fuel would amount to fleecing Nigerians at a time government should rather concentrate on efforts that will immediately ease burdens of the citizens.

It urged  the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to be wary of attempts by some All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders to “hijack fiscal procedures and push hazy financial theories that will end up diverting public resources into their hands, away from the poor Nigerians in the informal sector who are in dire need of social remedies due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “

“The CBN should be circumspect over the attempt by APC leader, Asuwaju Bola Tinubu, to hide under social palliatives for the COVID-19 impact, already advocated by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians, to covertly sell a parochial pecuniary agenda of APC leaders and the cabal.

“The PDP alerts that Senator Tinubu’s sudden and unsolicited interest in palliative funds, without proffering instruments that will guarantee direct  disbursement to the poor masses and check diversions,  raises serious issues of ostensible attempt to prey on our national economy at this critical time.

“It indeed speaks volumes that while the PDP and other patriotic Nigerians and organizations have been rallying for solution, the APC has not made any meaningful suggestion for solution.

“Rather, its leaders are busy seeking to use the unfortunate situation to further plunder our national economy.

“The PDP, therefore, urged the CBN to hedge its system from APC leaders and immediately develop strategies that will enable it to directly reach the poor masses in the informal sector for disbursement of fiscal palliative to cushion the effect of the COVID-19.

“The CBN should explore ways of routing the intervention to the people using their Bank Verification Number (BVN) data in various banks in addition to other social welfare programmes that would directly reach the unemployed and the elderly.”