By Rauf Oyewole
A group, Northern Agenda for Good Governance has demanded return of petroleum subsidy, saying that the removal causes avoidable hardship on the populace.
The Deputy National Coordinator of the Group, Comrade Hashim Bala Pali, while addressing journalists in Bauchi on Thursday said that “Politics of subsidy removal and the imperative of policy reversal, we observe among most Nigerians is the root cause of the hunger, starvation and other difficulties faced by our people.
“The removal of subsidy in PMS as announced by the President in his inaugural address, since then life has become meaningless to the majority of our citizens, hence we join the popular call by compatriots for the return of the subsidy regime with immediate effect.
“The survival of our people is better than policy cosmetics and window dressing that is not achieving any result. So let's go back to subsidy.”
He said that the Group observed that it was insensitive of the Federal Government to introduce a high increase in electricity tariff at a time most Nigerians are struggling to have a square meal a day.
According to him, none of the government policies have a human face and not in the best interest of the country. “It has to be reversed as other alternatives of providing electricity at affordable prices should be explored rather than sheer increase in the tariff.”
Speaking on education fees, “on this issue, it is our position that the student loan fund introduced to cushion the effect of hike in fees paid by students in tertiary institutions of learning across the country will not address the problems of access to quality education to the average Nigerian.
“As such, we suggest that economic policies that improve the purchasing capacity of the average citizens, add value to our currency and what have you are preferred. This will make it possible for most citizens to afford tertiary education without much ado.”
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