The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has condemned the recent increase in the price of fuel, describing it as insensitive, News About Nigeria reports.
He said this in a statement via his verified handle on X on Saturday.
Obi noted that it is unfortunate and insensitive for the NNPCL to increase the price of fuel again without providing any explanation.
In the statement titled ‘Reversing the Sudden Fuel Price Increase’, Obi condemned the move, stating that it is not how an economy’s resources should be managed nor how a nation should be governed.
Therefore, he called on the Minister of Petroleum to take the necessary steps to reverse the price and mitigate the hardships Nigerians are experiencing due to the high price of petroleum products.
He stated, “As Nigerians continue to groan under extremely difficult economic conditions, largely caused by the Federal Government’s wrong policy choices, the NNPCL has once again raised the price of fuel (PMS) without providing any explanation.
“This is both unfortunate and insensitive, considering the wide-ranging negative consequences for our economic survival and well-being.
“This is neither how an economy’s resources should be managed nor how a nation should be governed. In this new measure, there is neither sound economics nor necessary compassion.
“We are told that the NNPCL is now a limited liability company, regulated by agencies such as the NUPRC and NMDPRA, yet there seems to be growing confusion about the roles and responsibilities of the NNPCL and these regulating bodies.
“Interestingly, both the NNPCL and the regulatory agencies are supposed to be under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria serving as the substantive Minister. Who, in this arrangement, is regulating who?
“With the unprecedented but avoidable hardship that Nigerians are enduring, the responsibility for providing a full explanation, offering alternative options, and most importantly, reversing the sudden price hike falls squarely on the Honorable Minister of Petroleum Resources/President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We hope and pray that he acts in the best interest of the majority of Nigerians, who are living under unnecessarily precarious conditions, and that he does so before his return from his working vacation.
“To casually inflict such a draconian measure on the populace from the comfort of an annual vacation amounts to taking the people’s welfare lightly and for granted.
