The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP-led Federal
Government of acting out a clandestine script to increase fuel prices
through the back door, saying the ongoing nation-wide fuel scarcity
may have been induced to make higher fuel prices a fait accompli for
Nigerians.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National
Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the fact that
the scarcity has persisted despite the claims and counter-claims by
the government and the oil markers, and the measures purportedly taken
by the government to ameliorate the situation, is the clearest
indication of official deception.
”The more fuel trucks the government claims to have sent to major
cities to ease the scarcity, the more difficult it is for Nigerians to
obtain the product. This is an old trick and Nigerians should not be
hoodwinked into believing there will be no increase in fuel prices.
The only deterrent is to let the government know Nigerians will resist
any price hike.
”The truth is that with the elections approaching, the PDP-led FG is
desperately seeking all possible avenues to raise funds for its usual
electoral shenanigans, and increasing fuel prices has always been an
attractive option to the government, not minding what the impact will
be on the same people it has impoverished since 1999,” it said.
APC said the lingering scarcity has already forced many Nigerians to
pay as much as 120 Naira per litre of fuel, which
is exactly as the FG wants it to be.
”The next refrain from the government will be that only higher prices
will guarantee the availability of the product, and that many
marketers are unwilling to import the product because of low profit
margin. We urge Nigerians not to swallow this bait,” the party said.
It commended the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for its timely warning
against any plan to hike fuel prices, saying the Jonathan
Administration’s assurances that fuel prices will not be increased are
not worth anything because the
government is credibility-deficient.
”The big deception of 2012, when the government slammed a massive
price hike on Nigerians on New Year’s day despite
assurances to the contrary, is still too fresh in the memories of
Nigerians. The same people who inflicted that pain on Nigerians are
still in charge, so no one should trust them,” APC warned.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
Interim National Publicity Secretary
