The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the federal government to “immediately” reverse the recent increase in petrol prices.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited raised the price of petrol at its retail outlets. Prices at other petrol stations across the country have also surged, ranging from N855 per litre to over N1,000.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba described this price hike as a “punishing increase” and a “brutal assault on the sensibility and wellbeing of Nigerians.”
“The reckless increase in fuel prices, especially at this time, is a recipe for crisis, as Nigerians cannot endure its compounding effects on the already severe economic hardship they currently face under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC administration,” the statement said.
Ologunagba asserted that the “persistent rise” in petrol prices “without consideration for the wellbeing of the people is like pushing Nigerians to their breaking point.”
“The APC administration has consistently proven to be anti-people, showing indifference and being unresponsive to the suffering of millions of Nigerians who can no longer afford basic necessities like food, medication, and essential family support due to the devastating high cost of living caused by the insensitive and reckless policies of the Tinubu administration,” he stated.
The PDP spokesperson claimed that under the Tinubu administration, 150 million Nigerians have fallen below the poverty line. He also noted that businesses are collapsing daily amid an inflation rate exceeding 34 percent and an unemployment rate above 40 percent.
“With the current APC government policies, there is virtually no hope for improvement as major multinational companies continue to leave our country in large numbers due to poorly conceived and badly implemented macro-economic policies,” he said.
“Given the dire state of our nation today, our Party wonders what President Tinubu communicates to his foreign counterparts during his numerous trips abroad, especially in nations where leaders prioritize the welfare of their people.
“Nigerians will remember that the PDP has repeatedly offered constructive advice and suggestions for managing the economy, but the APC government has arrogantly ignored this guidance in its failure.
“The PDP urges President Tinubu to prevent further socio-economic turmoil by immediately reversing the recent provocative increase in fuel prices and reconsidering all life-disruptive and burdensome policies of the APC government.”
He added that with “effective, transparent, and innovative management of resources, economic potential, comparative advantage, and national refining capacity, petrol should not sell for more than N250 per litre in the country.”
