Hiked Oil Price: Sack NNPC GMD, PPPRA Boss, Group Tells Buhari
BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – The Nigeria Citizen Action Group (NCAG), a pro-masses and coalition of civil society movement, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister for State for Petroleum, Mr Timipre Silva, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kolo Kyari and Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) on or before Monday 13th July, 2020.
In a situation where the President is unable to sack them, the group called for a quick reversal of the hiked oil pump price from N143.8 to N123.5.
Briefing newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, the spokesman of the group, Mohammed Salihu Danlami, the group said, “We enjoin Nigerians to troop out to reject this act of frustration and deliberate infliction of hardship on all citizen by overzealous appointee of government on Tuesday, 14th July 2020 when we shall be shutting down NNPC and PPPRA headquarters Abuja to press home our demands.”
The group noted that at a time when nations are doing more to help her citizens out of this post-pandemic era that has led to job losses, salary cut, business shut among other adverse effect, the appointees of government have decided to incite citizen against their principal/government, describing the action as so unfortunate, highly ridiculous, callous and insensitive.
The group lamented, “This we consider a deliberate attempt to erode off President Muhammadu Buhari’s goodwill, solidarity support, trust and love from the heart of Nigerian Citizens.”
It said, instead of Nigerian citizen to experience further drop in PMS price or maintenance of status quo, the PPPRA, NNPC and Ministry of Petroleum decided to hike the pump price amidst the global pandemic recovery moves.
NCAG said, “Nigerians will recall that on 11th May, 2016, the Federal Government, through NNPC, announced the removal of fuel subsidy which necessitated a hike in PMS from N97 to N145, an increase of 66.67%, a similar policy by former administration of Goodluck Jonathan/PDP tried that Nigerian outrightly rejected with massive protest Nationwide.
“Out of goodwill, unblemished trust and unprecedented love Nigerians have for President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration as man of integrity, the policy reintroduction was never questioned, rather Citizen endured despite its resultant effect on our day-to-day activities, with hope for good governance in return as the new government of President Buhari need every cooperation and support of Citizen to deliver as then.
“It became a mirage, an unfortunate experience that none of Citizen’s expectation came to pass, instead Nigerians patience are being taken for foolishness as the National Assembly queried the Federal Government on 31st May, 2019 after a revelation that we are paying highest subsidy in the history of Nigeria under same government that hiked PMS price in the name of total subsidy removal. As Nigeria spent 11 trillion Naira in 6 years in subsidy.”
The group noted that aside that fact that numerous revelation in the recent exposed non-remittance of tax into federation account by NNPC, it has equally been in public domains violation of procurement act and scandalous contract award process by the same NNPC such as revealed by former Minister Ibe Kachikwu’ leaked memo to president Buhari on 4th October, 2017.
