Northern coalition decries proposed removal of fuel subsidy, threatens protest
A group under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Groups’ (CNG), on Wednesday decried the plan by the federal government to tamper with fuel subsidy, threatening to mobilize the entire people of the region to resist it.
CNG recalled that the plan by the federal government to increase the pump price of fuel to N340 per litre has continued to elicit varying reactions from Nigerians and civil society organisations.
Addressing media briefing in Gombe at the end of their North East stakeholders meeting organised by the group, the north East coordinator of the coalition, Ibrahim Mohammed, lamented that the planned increase in fuel price.
He noted the suffering of the people particularly in the north, stressing that the region is faced with security challenges.
According to him, the promise to replace the oil subsidy with a payment of N5, 000 stipend each to 40 million citizens is impracticable, stressing that it is ill-intended, saying “even if it will be paid, it will benefitted by few Nigerians.”
The coalition explained that they would submit the copy of their resolution to the emir of Gombe Abubakar Shehu III to peruse, having held the meeting in his state.
Mohammed said, “The problems and sufferings in the North today without being compounded by a further hike in prices of essential commodities and mobility are traceable only to inept and insensitive leadership at the national and states level as well as the cowardice of other community and religious leaders who lack the courage to stand up to them in the interest of the people of the region and Nigeria.
“We resolved to join the move to sensitize all levels of northern society on their duty to support a prolonged and sustained resistance to force government to immediately rescind the implementation of this unpopular, corrupt and inhuman policy within the next four weeks or risk an unprecedented mass action and civil disobedience.”
