BY MONICA OGBAUDU
As the #EndBadGovernance protest progresses, a socio-political group known as the Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to revisit his economic policies and reduce fuel prices.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the President of the group, Comrade Bene Mamamu and the Secretary, Comrade Onitsha Shedrack which was issued to journalists.
It stated that President Tinubu should, as a matter of urgency, re-enact some of his policies that have prompted untold hardship in the nation, adding that the removal of fuel subsidy was wrongly implemented.
According to the statement, the climax of the unprecedented hardship was occasioned by the unsubsidized petroleum products and the effects have been uneventful leadership dispensation.
“You can’t subject the people under severe harsh conditions and expect them to be silent. A situation where hunger, poverty, businesses failing, companies closing up and investors relocating to better and more lucrative environments now become the order of the day.
“It is like changing the social and political landscape of the country and still expecting to get the same result. It will only suffocate the people and create room for them to express their civil rights, vent their frustration and tell the political class that ‘enough is enough’ through protest that most times are unavoidably violent, no matter the narratives behind it”.
The Niger Delta group also appealed to protesters to calm down and desist from all forms of violence and destruction of public facilities in the name of protest and also urged security operatives to engage more diplomatic skills in their duties in order not to compound issues.
While commending the Federal Government for providing palliatives, the group maintained that, if the resources which has been invested into the distribution of palliatives were channeled to subsidized petrol and more resourceful purposes, ‘this hardship that has bedeviled the country would have just been a mirage’.
“If the President could change the national anthem with much ease and speed, why can’t he channel similar proactive measures to fix the country? Let him go back to the drawing board and revert to our previous standard of living before he assumes office”.
“We pray for the President to have a rethink of commercialization of education, floating of naira and increase in electricity tariff; all of which has led to job losses amidst other devastating consequences. Palliative is never a solution to any problem in the country. What is needed, is to initiate policies that will push down prices”.
“We further enjoin Nigerians to be patient and stop the protest while we await the President’s response, knowing that the protest is doing the economy more harm than good as we look forward to the reduction of fuel price from N885 to N200”.
It was also disclosed that the group would be reaching out to their counterparts in other geopolitical zones on how to tackle the high cost of living.
