joshuaDon’t Go On Street Protests, ex-Presidential Candidate Tells NANS
*Urges President Tinubu To Reduce Fuel Pump Price
Ayo Ola
Former presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in 2019, Prof Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, has appealed to the Nigerian students to avoid going on street protests over the fuel pump price increase.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd)had recently in a most surprising manner increased fuel pump price by over 40%, from between N658 and N600 to between N855 to N940. This unleashed greater hardship on the people and sparked outrage.
But the academic luminary said a situation in Nigeria where the umbrella body of the nation’s students’ union (NANS) and the federal government would have a face off is undesirable. She, therefore, called for an immediate dialogue between the two parties.
Adesanya-Davies appealed to NANS that this is already one of the “Ember’ months and that they must not embark in any action including protests that could endangers their lives.
She also appealed to them to kindly give more time to the government to address the situation and other national challenges.
She stated these in a statement on Sunday in her reaction to the threat by a faction of the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to go on protest on September 15.
President of Senate, NANS, Okunomo Henry Adewumi, had in a letter to Nigerian students, notified them of an impending massive shutdown of all major cities in Nigeria, effective September 15, 2024 in protest of the recent hike in fuel pump price.
The factional leader of NANS had threatened to occupy major cities across the country on September 15, if the recent increase in fuel prices is not reversed.
Also Okunomo during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily confirmed that the students would occupy major cities across the country on September 15, if the recent increase in fuel pump prices was not reversed.
Adesanya-Davies said: “Please, this news that the students will protest in major streets in Nigeria on September 15, is alarming because NANS, the students apex body in the nation has over 40 million Nigerian students. The government should not turn a deaf ear to it. I therefore plead with President Bola Tinubu to reorganise his programmes, which have plunged Nigerians into unfathomable hardship and restore fuel subsidy in a transparent manner and management to power productivity.
“We recall that the Nigerian students had expressed their support and endorsed the presidential aspiration of Adesanya-Davies, in 2019 as a woman and an academic. NANS also honoured Adesanya-Davies with its “Most Outstanding Leadership Award” of the year, 2018; according to the letter sent.
“It was an ‘Award of Excellence in Service and Outstanding Leadership,’ in recognition of my invaluable contributions to youth empowerment, excellence in service and outstanding leadership over the years.”
Adesanya-Davies who, in-addition, is the Country President of United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC), called on the federal government, to please urgently proffer solutions to the petrol pump price hike, the hunger in the nation and economic challenges, in general.
According to her, President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the governors, the ministers and other public officials to reduce the cost of governance.
Adesanya-Davies said: “It is a fact that despite being one of the leading oil producers, Nigeria faces regular fuel shortages that have a clipping effect on the economy. This is because it relies on petroleum products that are imported by the state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd). Currently, the country has very little refining capacity and must bring in finished products for consumption in the country.
“Moreover, Nigeria is being unfortunately currently tagged, ‘The poverty capital of the world.’
“As regards hunger, the government should ensure adequate security and provide farm incentives such as grants, subsidized inputs, loan, improved crop/livestock varieties and modern farm equipment for the rural and households farming to enable them overcome food insecurity in the country.”
She added: “As for the fuel pump price hike, the Tinubu’s administration should consider overhauling the energy sector’s administration, opening up the import market to other suppliers to take off pressure from NNPC, as well as, letting the newly opened Dangote Petroleum Refinery come to Nigerian’s rescue immediately.
“As a matter of urgency, President Bola Tinubu should please, simply cut the cost of governance, reduce the pays of the governors, the upper and lower house members, increase salaries, bring down the price of fuel, fix refineries and encourage farming and importation of food in the short run.”
