Fuel subsidy removal: Protests rock Edo over hardship

 

Members of the Edo State Civil Society Organisations and other civil rights groups in the state came out on Monday to protest the hardship brought upon Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.

 

The rallies began at Ring Road and went through the major streets in Benin, like Mission Road, Akpakpava Road, Sakponba Road and others.

 

The protesters brandished placards with inscriptions such as “In less than two months, Tinubu Government is choking Nigerians to death, “Tinubu let us breath”, “Kill corruption, not Nigerians”, “Cost of living in Nigeria is choking us”, “FG allow the poor to breath”, and “Keep your palliatives, fix our refineries”.

 

 

The EDOCSO interim president, Comrade Austin Enabulele, while speaking to journalists, said the group appreciated the removal of the petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government but urged the government to put modalities in place to cushion the pains that the removal has caused the poor masses.

 

“We appreciate that the President has removed subsidy because they are using it to steal from us. However, palliatives should have been put in place before the removal. The refineries should work, even if it is two, so that we buy fuel at an affordable price in Nigeria,” Enabulele said.

 

 

He wondered about the rationale behind the N8,000 proposed palliative for 12 million Nigerians, which will eventually amount to N996 billion, while N70 billion will be spent on 469 National Assembly members.

 

“We have come to tell the President that we don’t need the N8,000 palliatives. He should keep it to himself. It is another way of stealing Nigerians’ money.

 

“How do you get the statistics of 12 million Nigerians that you want to pay N996 billion to as palliatives? Meanwhile, you want to spend N70 billion on the National Assembly with just 469 members.

 

“Is that not stealing? Is that not calling Nigerians fools? We want to let President Bola Tinubu know that we are not fools and that enough is enough”, Enabulele added.

 

Speaking also, the President of Talakawa’s Parliament, Comrade Kola Edokpayi, said, “It is no longer news that the poverty rate has increased under the watch of our president.

 

“It is sad we are where we are today. We cannot continue like this. Imagine lawmakers proposed N70bn payment when the masses are suffering,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved a slew of multibillion naira palliatives to neutralise the effects of recent removal of fuel subsidy, cutting across different sectors and demographies of the state.

 

 

 

On top of the palliatives is a cash support of N10,000 for every public sector worker in the state, which will begin this month (July) and last until a new minimum wage is introduced to enable workers cope with the economic shocks created by the subsidy removal, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Rafiu Ajakaye told a news briefing on Monday morning.

 

 

 

In deference to the new advisory of the National Economic Council for states to design their own independent responses to the development, the Governor has directed the leadership of the civil service to continue a staggered work schedule — not exceeding three days a week — to reduce transportation expenses for workers, he said.

 

 

 

Kwara had earlier introduced a three-day work schedule for its civil servants, but suspended it in deference to an earlier advisory of the NEC for states to await a more holistic response to the development.

 

The staggered work plan will not cover ‘essential workers’, the governor’s spokesman clarified.

 

“The Governor has similarly approved the payment, from this month, July, of new hazard and skipping allowances, and 100% CONMESS for consultants and medical doctors under the government’s payroll. He also approved a new regime of allowances for nurses working for the state government. The whole essence is to check attrition rate in the health sector, and attract and retain medics and specialists to provide improved, qualitative healthcare services for the people of the state,” he added.

 

 

 

“The Governor has also endorsed immediate cash-backing of 2019 and 2020 promotion for Teaching Service Commission workers. The administration had earlier cash-backed arrears of promotion for TESCOM for years 2015-2018.

 

 

 

“In the same vein, he has approved cash-backing for 2021 promotion exercise of teaching and non-teaching staff of SUBEB and restoration of steps to all of them. This is a policy response to the yearnings of SUBEB workers since 2016 when SUBEB workers no longer had steps.

 

 

 

“The Governor also approved the extension of free bus rides for students of tertiary institutions in the state, while modalities for occasional distribution of food to poor and most vulnerable households are to be activated in the next few days.

 

 

 

“This shall be nonpartisan, and would be coordinated by a government team to be supported by respected stakeholders who would get inputs from traditional rulers, religious bodies, market leaders, trade unionists, and community based organisations to generate the lists of beneficiaries and disburse accordingly.

 

 

 

“The whole idea of these interventions, which gulp billions of naira of public funds, is to show empathy and deploy as much resources as the state can afford to support the people at this special time.

 

 

 

“The Governor has also approved for the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) to activate a N500m worth of conditional support for petty traders and MSMEs in the state.

 

 

 

“The state government will receive fertilisers and grains from the Federal Government and pay for same. It is not free. Modalities for the handling of these will be made available later. This is to boost farming outputs and food security in the state.

 

 

 

“The government, meanwhile, will be setting up a committee to interface with marketers on the need to curb extortionist tendencies as seen in arbitrary fixing of prices of food stuffs. This practice imposes hardship on everyone. The government will be willing to collaborate with the patriotic market leaders on how to tackle this challenge.

 

 

 

“Finally, the Governor identifies with the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his strong commitments to sustainable economic reforms and well-being of the Nigerian people, believing that the current discomforts are just like the pains that precede the joyful birth of a child.”