Notable Politicians, Celebrities and Labour Union has kept silent over the increase of fuel by the government from N147 to N212 per litre.
The Country under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is currently groaning under heavy taxes and levies, insecurity, increase in prices of food stuff and a host of others now grapples with another hardship of fuel increase as long queues at filling stations and increase in transportation fare are seen all over the country.
Following this drama, increase in prices of foods stuffs rose to over 100% due to agitation and ultimatum given by the southwest governors to Fulani herdsmen to vacate their state or face the consequences, in retaliation they (Fulani/Herdsmen) too ban the exportation of major food commodities to the southwest and other parts of the country who are in dire need for food.
While Nigerians still battle with this series of quagmire, they were shocked to the bone when on March, 12, 2021, the price of fuel increased from N147 to N212 per litre.
The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, (PPPRA) after few hours of the price increase bowed to pressure by deleting an earlier published template announcing that the new price of petrol has reached N212.6 per litre.
The Federal having seen the reactions of Nigerians like a toothless dog but at the mercy of only the media gave a wishy-washy apology for the increase.
According to the minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, he said neither he nor President Muhammadu Buhari was informed, and regrets “distress and inconvenience, the unfortunate information might have caused.”
It would be recalled that in 2012, notable and respected Nigerians, Politicians, Institutions, Celebrities and even religious leaders lambasted former President, Goodluck Jonathan after he increased fuel price from N65 to N87. At the time, the dollar rate was still manageable and the prices of foodstuff and many other items in the market were still affordable.
The situation now seems callously unbearable as those that took the streets to protest in 2012 and are supposed to lend their voices to this maladministration of a government suddenly kept silent on the fuel increase.
As it seems, average Nigerians are finding life difficult at the moment. They are beginning to regret the choice they made in 2015 and 2019. Although this is the case, they are however handicapped.
By Kenny Folarin