Hardship Protest: Reduce Fuel To ₦300/Litre, Set Up Food Regulatory Committee In States, Group Tells Tinubu

By Daniel Dafe

Initiative For Social Rights Concerns And Advancement (ISRCA) AKA “No Justice, No Peace” has called for a drastic reduction of fuel pump price to ₦300 per litre or its equivalent if it is impossible to bring back fuel subsidy, saying reduction in the pump price of fuel will help reduce transportation, food and every other challenge that goes along with services charge.

The group said this on Friday in a statement signed by Comr. (Amb) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, National Coordinator and made available to Oasis Magazine.

Recall that the #EndBadGovernance protest entered Day 3 on Saturday.

ISRCA added: “Also, setting up food, commodities regulation committee across all 36 States of the federation will help in the enforcement processes. It is the duty of the Nigerian government to intervene decisively on behalf of the most ordinary Nigerians, by enforcing price control measures that protect citizens from hunger, starvation and from being exploited by traders and marketers.”

The group also requested that the electricity tariffs be reduced and should be affordable for all Nigerians, while urging the Tinubu administration to also reinstate previous import duty rates.

The statement reads further: “We demand the establishment of an emergency fund to support SMEs for unemployed Nigerians. Most importantly, there’s urgent need for the reopening of our borders to enable free flows of goods and other items, as the closure of land borders had adverse effects on food security, contributing to price hikes and shortages of essential commodities. By reopening the borders, Nigeria can facilitate the smoother movement of food products, which is vital for both producers and consumers across the region.

“As a people, we are eager to have a functioning system, where the government can be proactive to the people’s plight, as over the years, we have had systems that have concentrated too much on power, with the politicians, as major actors instead of the people it governs, providing them access to their basic needs and commodities.

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“I will categorically state it clearly, that the protest is not targeted to any political office holders but to her poorly managed institutionalized systems that have made the people impoverished. It also targets the singular reckless pronouncement of subsidy removal in the inaugural speech by Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which has thrown the nation into uncontrollable inflation, massive unemployment, high cost of living that have turned hitherto staple foods into luxuries that majority of Nigerians cannot afford.

“Again, it is further intended to express the collective neglect and frustrations of the people. Sadly, the State and Local Governments, politicians and some well paid Nigerians, disguising under the umbrella of civil society organizations or some sort of unrecognized concerned groups, are the ones spearheading the intended hijack of the protest, to frustrate the efforts of the people not to achieve success in the end. A situation, where protesters can be restricted while the anti-protesters are not obeying court orders; a narrative we must not allow but change.

“The protest, organized under the banner of a “10 Days of Rage,” aimed to address multiple grievances against the current government can only be averted if these demands outlined are met, as we all look forward to having a better Nigeria.”