FUEL, ELECTRICITY TARIFFS HIKE: Buhari govt has compounded woes of Nigerians —Lawmaker

A member of the House of Representatives, Teejay Yusuf has accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of compounding the ‘woes’ of Nigerians with the recent hike in fuel price and electricity tariffs.

He said rather than celebrating the coming Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary, the people were ruing the latest decision of the government that would make many of them wallow in miserable poverty and depression.

Yusuf is a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and represents Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency of Kogi State.

He said in a statement on Tuesday: “With the simultaneous hike in the prices of fuel and electricity, the woes of millions of Nigerians have been further compounded and instead of celebrating Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary in few weeks, the APC Federal Government has taken steps to ensure that too many citizens will further wallow in miserable poverty and depression.

“Nigerians emerged from the Covid-19 lockdown, hoping that government’s much-expected fulfilment of its populist slogans will follow the good examples of other countries, including nearby Ghana where massive arrangements were made for enhanced supply of water and electricity to vulnerable communities nationwide during this trying period.

“Instead, few weeks to our 60th independence anniversary, they again brought additional insensitive yokes upon the people; compared with the pre-2015 prosperity era, the cost of one bag of rice rose from N8, 500 to now equal minimum wage, Naira now exchanges for N420 instead of N200 and Nigeria’s debts rose from $9. 7 billion to $27 billion while they now look for even more loans.

“Even though this administration that promised utopian fantasies is giving the masses very hellish experiences, it is commendable that the latest price hikes are being condemned nationwide, with labour, professionals, survivors of Covid-19, human rights groups and various CSOs defying the administration’s track record of vile intimidation to raise their voices.

READ ALSO: Reps minority caucus rejects hike in petrol price

“What happened to all their campaign promises; do Nigerians really deserve such odious and obnoxious independence anniversary gift even as government contemplates tightening the economic noose further?

“It is very unfortunate that the only independence anniversary that the current APC government can give millions of suffering masses are measures with definitive implications of immediately bringing more Nigerians into abject poverty and hopelessness than ever recorded in the history of Nigeria.”

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