The National Conscience Party, NCP, condemns in its
entirety the current illegal, crude, callousand 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
atthe time oil was going for over $112.00 in 2012, petrol went for N97.00, now
that it is going forabout $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 thePetroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) price template. All
of a sudden by May11 2016, the entire PPPRA template was changed and according
to that template there was littleor 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 atthe 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 offuel 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 notsurprised 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
revoltagainst the fuel price increment. It is on record, that President Buhari
had correctly asserted thatthere was never anything called fuel subsidy in
Nigeria and in fact that anybody talking of fuelsubsidy is a fraud. In
addition, he had called for fuel price reduction not too long ago. Theyclaimed
that they removed “subsidy” on petrol in January 2016 leading to the reduction
of priceto 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
whereall 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 beenduped 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 Buhariwho is also holding on to the
portfolio of substantive petroleum minister has not uttered a single word on
the fuel crises thathas intensified since last year.. Rather, the junior
minister for petroleum 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 sittersits 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 summitholding in UK. The impression they want to create is that
the president was not responsible forthis 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-
nonsenseBuhari
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 by45%, put plans in place to bring back toll gates and increase
Value Added Tax, VAT; it watchedwhile several states government owe months of
workers’ wages and even cut wages. The list ofwoes 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 atN285.00 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 regimewould provoke more anarchy and deepen the recession as the 2016
budget was based on anexchange rate of N199.00 to $1.00. It is important to
note that the naira has further melted toN370.00 at the black market since the
increment.
Clearly,
the Buhari – APC government has proven beyond all reasonable doubt that it is
not inany way different from the PDP government that just got booted out. And
that APC like the PDPis a party of the IMF and austerity.
The IMF
inspired program of deregulation, liberalization, or whatever now been mouthed
by thePresident Buhari’s spokesman on oil matter IbeKachikwu 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 furtherincrement imposed as the naira further melts down at the
black market.
Only the
most deluded elements can believe Kachikwu and APC chairman Oyegun that
petrolprices 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 forincreased electricity tariff and petrol price? Overwhelming
majority of Nigerians earn less thanN50,000.00 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 arecurrently earning a whopping N1.3 trillion as official emolument
annually. For example, over N2billion has been budgeted to be spent on past
presidents and their vice, about 13 individuals inthe 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 perannum. These are the real subsidies.
A
government of liars and promise breakers deserves no support respect or further
trust. This is why wehereby 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 andpetrol 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
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