Act fast, Nigerians starving – APC chieftain tells Tinubu

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, to quickly address the growing hunger and economic hardship in the country.

Mr Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo.

He said that the current suffering and hardship Nigerians were passing through required a more faster and impactful approach.

He said that although there was no doubt that the President was working hard to ameliorate the suffering of the people, but a more faster approach was needed.

Mr Oyintiloye, a member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, noted that the economic hardship through the hike in the prices of food stuff, petrol, electricity, cooking gas, among others were becoming unbearable.

He said the recent increment in the fuel pump price will no doubt worsen the hardship the masses were currently going through.

“Nigerians are hopeful that there will be positive turn around in the country but measures to achieve this must be accelerated.

“There is no doubt that the President is doing everything humanly possible to ameliorate the suffering of the masses but a faster approach must be considered.

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“The President should ensure that every bureaucratic bottleneck that is impeding the swift implementation of policies that will put smiles on the faces of the masses is removed.

“The economic suffering the masses are currently going through is becoming unbearable and the President must act fast. Nigerians are hungry,” he said.

Mr Oyintiloye also urged the President to see to the delay in the implementation of the suspension of customs duties and taxes on imported food items two months after.

The APC chieftain said that since the initiative was said to be part of measures to combat rising food inflation across the country, there should not be any delay in its implementation by the concerned authorities.

Mr Oyintiloye, who noted that on August 7, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, assured that the implementation of the policy would commence the following week once the guidelines were ready, said up till now the policy was yet to be implemented

“There is no doubt that the President is passionate and willing to put smiles on the faces of the masses but those who are in charge of implementing these policies should not be seen as roadblocks.

“The President gave a directive to the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Services that a 150-day duty-free window to allow the importation of maize, husked brown rice, and wheat and almost two months after this is yet to be implemented.

“This is not good enough. The President cannot be every where and that is why his foot soldiers must be proactive in taking steps to achieve the President’s desire.

“The masses are angry and hungry, and that is why all measures to ameliorate this should be acted on faster,” he stated.

He appealed to Nigerians for continued support to the President, saying that all the policies implemented at the moment might seem painful but would be of great benefits in the long run.

Act fast, Nigerians starving – APC chieftain tells Tinubu

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Reverse petrol price hike, probe NNPC, SERAP tells Tinubu

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to use his “leadership position and good offices to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse the apparently illegal and unconstitutional increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, across its retail outlets.”

SERAP urged him to “direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and appropriate anti-corruption agencies “to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the NNPC, including the spending of the reported $300 million ‘bailout funds’ collected from the Federal Government in August 2024, and the $6 billion debt it owes suppliers, despite allegedly failing to remit oil revenues to the treasury.”

SERAP said, “Suspected perpetrators of alleged corruption and mismanagement in the NNPC should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any proceeds of corruption should be fully recovered.”

In the open letter dated 7 September 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “The increase in petrol price constitutes a fundamental breach of constitutional guarantees and the country’s international human rights obligations.”

SERAP said, “Nigerians have for far too long been denied justice and the opportunity to get to the bottom of why they continue to pay the price for corruption in the oil sector.”

The letter, read in part: “Rather than pursuing public policies to address the growing poverty and inequality in the country, and holding the NNPC to account for the alleged corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector, your government seems to be punishing the poor.

“The increase in petrol price has rendered already impoverished citizens incapable of satisfying their minimum needs for survival.”

“The increase is not inevitable, as it stems from the persistent failure of successive governments to address allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector and the impunity of suspected perpetrators.”

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“Corruption in the oil sector and the lack of transparency and accountability in the use of public funds to support the operations of the NNPC have resulted in persistent and unlawful hike in petrol prices.”

“Holding the NNPC to account for alleged corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector would serve legitimate public interests.”

“The increase is causing immense hardship to those less well-off. We are concerned that as the economic situation in Nigeria deteriorates, the increase in petrol price is pushing people further into poverty.”

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 48 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”

“Increasing petrol prices at a time when millions of Nigerians continue to face worsening economic conditions is entirely inconsistent with your government constitutional and international obligations to ensure the minimum living conditions compatible with human dignity.”

“The arbitrary increase has placed a disproportionate burden on the marginalized and most vulnerable sectors of society, particularly those disadvantaged by poverty.”

“The increase is seriously jeopardizing their living conditions, well as individuals’ physical, emotional, and individual development, and intensifying and worsening socioeconomic conditions in the country.”

“The increase constitutes a serious human rights problem because of the intensity with which it undermines the enjoyment and exercise by Nigerians of their human rights and renders their civic participation illusory.”

“The fundamental right to life includes not only the right of every Nigerian not to be deprived of his/her life arbitrarily, but also the right that he/she will not be prevented from having access to the conditions that guarantee a dignified existence.”

“The growing poverty and inequality in the country has continued to adversely affect the right of Nigerians to participatory democracy, and impede their ability to participate in their own government.”

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“Persistent increase in petrol prices keep people in poverty which in turn perpetuates discriminatory attitudes and practices against them.”

“Your government has a legal obligation to mobilize the maximum of the country’s available resources to ensure people’s socio-economic rights and to protect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged Nigerians.”

“Your government also has the legal obligations to probe and prosecute allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the NNPC, and to ensure access to justice and effective remedies for victims of corruption.”

“Investigating and prosecuting allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector would be entirely consistent with the Nigerian Constitution, and the country’s international anti-corruption obligations.”

“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] imposes clear responsibility on your government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution. Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices’ including in the NNPC.”

“Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.’”

“Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.’”

“According to our information, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited recently increased the price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, across its retail outlets.”

“The price of the product increased to N855 per litre, from about N600, and in some instances above N900 per litre. The apparently unlawful increase in petrol price followed a scarcity caused by the reported refusal by suppliers to import petroleum products for the NNPCL over a $6 billion debt.”

“The NNPC reportedly failed to remit USD$2.04 billion and N164 billion of oil revenues into the public treasury, as documented in the recently published 2020 annual report by the Auditor-General of the Federation.”

Reverse petrol price hike, probe NNPC, SERAP tells Tinubu

Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption rises from 30m litres to 60m – NMDPRA

The jigsaw puzzle surrounding the quantity of petrol, otherwise called Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Nigeria consumes daily just got more puzzling as Sunday Vanguard understands that the figure went down to about 30 million litres per day after President Bola Tinubu’s ”subsidy is gone” statement of May 29, 2023, only to dramatically return to more than 60 million litres.

Multiple sources attributed the ‘magical’ rise to renewed smuggling of the product into neighbouring countries where the price of the product is significantly higher than it is in Nigeria.

Until Tinubu ‘removed’ the petrol subsidy via the 2023 Inauguration Day speech, the product sold for N254 but rose subsequently to N617 in Abuja and thereabouts in some parts of the country.

In Lagos where it was cheapest, it sold for about N568 while it sold higher in other South-West states like Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti.

In the North, South-South and South-East, it was a different ballgame as the price of petrol skyrocketed above N615 while independent marketers sold above N800.

The quantity of petrol consumed daily in Nigeria has for a long time been a controversial issue with many stakeholders saying it was shrouded in secrecy especially since the quantity determined the amount to be paid as a subsidy which many people including government officials benefited from.

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According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in the first three months of 2022, Nigeria recorded an average daily consumption of 64.14 million litres, while the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) revealed in September 2022 that Nigeria’s average daily petrol consumption was 66.8 million litres.

However, at the beginning of 2023, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, said there was no credible data to ascertain the daily consumption of petrol in Nigeria while also stating that there was credible data on the actual volume of petrol evacuated from the depots.

Analysts believe the figures quoted are often that high. The bulk of the petrol earmarked for the local market is usually taken by smugglers across the borders, especially to neighbouring countries, where the price of the product is very high because they don’t produce oil.

The smuggling of the product across borders guarantees huge profits for those involved while subsidy also guarantees huge returns for marketers and government officials among others in the system.

But following the Inauguration Day pronouncement of Tinubu (subsidy is gone), daily consumption of petrol in Nigeria, according to sector regulator fell significantly.

Analysis of daily truck-out data published by the NMDPRA revealed that petrol consumption had reduced by more than 24 million litres per day on average.

The average daily consumption in May 2023 was 69.54 million liters which fell to 49.48 million liters in June, representing a 28.3% drop.

In July, this margin increased further to 34.61%, the equivalent of 24.06 million litres, and average daily consumption for the month fell further to 45.74 million litres.

The price of petrol in neighbouring Benin Republic and Cameroon immediately soared, confirming the claim that both countries, among others, were befitting of the Nigerian subsidy regime.

Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption rises from 30m litres to 60m – NMDPRA