Don’t Consider Fuel Price Hike, PDP Tells APC-Led Government

Don’t Consider Fuel Price Hike, PDP Tells APC-Led Government

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Friday urged the All Progressive Congress, APC-led federal government not to contemplate hiking fuel price from the present N145 per litre, saying such would be unacceptable.

The party, in a statement on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, alleged its investigations had shown that the federal government has been lying to Nigerians on oil related issues while using the state-owned NNPC to bandy figures to deceive Nigerians.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, had on Thursday said the NNPC, has incurred a cumulative loss of N85.5 billion via importing petrol and selling at N145 per litre.

He said the price was fixed in the first quarter of 2016, when crude oil was selling for $49 but now sells for $67 a barrel, noting that the pump price, may no longer be sustainable.

Mr. Kachickwu gave the explanation to the National Assembly joint committee on Petroleum Resources ( Downstream).

The minister, however in a statement on Thursday signed by Idang Alibi, director of press, foreclosed any fuel price hike. He said there was no such plan.

The PDP, however, said the lingering fuel crisis was a ploy by the APC to justify the intended hike.

The party said instead of putting more burden on the people, the APC government should, ”come out clear on sleazes in the oil sector under its watch, particularly the shady oil subsidy payouts and illegal lifting of N1.1 trillion worth of crude using unregistered companies.”

“Any increase in fuel pump price would be an indirect tax on Nigerians to fund APC interests and considering the pains Nigerians have suffered under this inept and unfeeling government, this intended hike will be callous,” the opposition party said.