The Senate President, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Chuks Innocent Okafor, on Sunday vowed that Nigerian students would resist any attempt by the Federal Government to increase the pump price of fuel.
Comrade Okafor, at a news conference at this in Abuja said such an attempt if considered will be ill-timed considering the ripple effect of inflation it would cause on the citizenry and the economy in the larger perspective.
The NANS Senate President stressed that each time there is an increase in the pump price of petroleum products, most especially the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), the cost of transportation, food items and other essential products, materials skyrocket which would be tantamount to another wave of suffering especially for students from poor homes.
Okafor said “This constant increase in prices at the expense of the average Nigerian citizens who are struggling under intense pressure to survive due to an unbearable harsh national economy has made their lives suffocatingly worse.
“It is even more worrisome that despite the fact that the majority of Nigerians are very poor, jobless, and most workers earning below basic minimum wage (which is in itself not even a living wage), the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the NNPC out of their consistent insensitivity towards the plight of Nigerians decided to test the continued patience of Nigerians by attempting to increase the pump price of PMS from 165 to 212 per litre.
“We, therefore, wish to seriously warn that we will not hesitate to shut down the nation’s economy through massive civil disobedience should the government contemplate increasing pump prices in the foreseeable future.
“NANS wishes to state clearly that it will no longer fold her hands and watch the over 50 million of her members from primary to tertiary institution levels and the general populace suffer grossly from the prevalent insensitivity and policies of the government that is making life hard and unbearable for the average citizen of this country.
“NANS wishes to inform the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), PPPRA, and indeed the Federal Government that since they have now reversed to the last increased price, it should remain so because NANS under this current leadership through the help of its structures and organs around the country will resist any attempt by this government to further increase the cost of PMS,” the NANS Senate President added.
