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Fuel price hike: Media Group Wants Immediate Reversal, Slams Government Over Extreme Hardship
sudden and steep hike in the cost of petrol has triggered widespread hardship, pushing many citizens further into severe poverty and creating additional strain on businesses and households across the country.
A rights group, Volunteer Media Advocacy for Accountable Leadership (VMAAL) expresses worry over the recent increase in fuel price to N1000 per litre, which has exacerbated the already challenging extreme economic conditions faced by millions of Nigerians across the country.
The group noted that the sudden and steep hike in the cost of petrol has triggered widespread hardship, pushing many citizens further into severe poverty and creating additional strain on businesses and households across the country.
In an official press statement signed by the National Coordinator, Augustine Aminu, KSM, the timing of this price increase could not be more detrimental, as Nigerians are still grappling with the economic fallout from fuel subsidy removal, rising inflation, and the ongoing challenges posed by unemployment and underemployment.
The statement reads: “The decision to raise fuel prices at this critical juncture is not only insensitive but also counterproductive to the government’s stated goals of economic recovery and poverty alleviation even when the national minimum wage increase is yet to be implemented by both state and federal government.
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“We urge the Federal Government to take immediate steps to reverse the fuel price hike and explore alternative measures to address the economic challenges facing the nation.
“It is important that the government prioritizes the welfare of its citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, who are disproportionately affected by such policies.
The group coordinator further said that the government as a matter of urgency, should engage in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders, including labor unions, civil society organizations, and the private sector, to develop a more sustainable approach to managing the nation’s resources and ensuring energy affordability.
“Nigerians deserve a government that listens to their concerns and acts in their best interest. The current fuel price hike only serves to deepen the economic woes of the people and threatens to destabilize the social fabric of the nation.
No government has really met the expectations of Nigerians in poverty alleviation, affordable fuel prices. But the administrations of Musa Y’aradua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan were far more better and promising before they were truncated.