The Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Groups (COSEG) has taken a position against Wednesday’s hike in the pump price of petrol, threatening to mobilise against its implementation.
COSEG in a press statement issued on Thursday, May 12, 2016 signed by Ifedayo Ogunlana and Rasaq Olokooba, chairman and secretary respectively, described the new price policy of the federal government as announced by the minister of state of petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, as “callous and a way not to reward Nigerians who are currently undergoing stress as a result of the lingering economic recession in the country.”
The group said it rejects the “dubious policy and will therefore mobilise the people to come out en-masse to show their grievances against the policy.
According to COSEG, “When Buhari was elected, the Nigerian people thought his government would proffer solutions to their problems. But with this new policy of indirectly hiking fuel pump price and indirectly fixing the price at N145, we know we have goofed.
“We therefore reject this new policy and will mobilise and join millions of Nigerians on the street to reject it. We are going to the street to demand the reversal of the evil policy.”
COSEG declared that “Nigerians cannot be taken for a ride for so long a time.” “The federal government is taking the respect the people have for Buhari to the pit . The average Nigerians today are finding it hard to eat and this government is compounding their problems day-in, day-out,” it said.
The group called on government to act responsibly and proactively, saying: “Government should behave as a government who must carry out its responsibility of blocking the loopholes in the petroleum management. We Nigerians cannot be suffering for their ineptitude.”
COSEG further said it supports the ongoing anti-corruption drive of the government, saying: “We restate our support for the ongoing Anti corruption stand of the government but the government must move its anti corruption stand to the petroleum sector too by ensuring that nobody shortchange through its subsidy policy. The outright removal of subsidy will never be supported.”
