Group Opposes Fuel Subsidy Removal

A GROUP, Movement for Nigeria's Total Transformation (MNTT), has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to drop his campaign for fuel subsidy removal.In a statement made available to The Guardian and signed by MNTT Chairman, Chief Areoye Oyebola, the group noted that it would amount to 'extreme insensibility' on the part of government to 'force Nigerians to pay more than the present N65 per litre, thereby bringing unprecedented hardship on the downtrodden masses'.According to the group, Nigeria currently charges higher for fuel consumption than some of her OPEC allies, who charge between N9 to N35 per litre of petrol, urging the president to 'formally combat those who embezzle billions of naira' meant for subsidy in Nigeria.The statement reads in part: 'Movement For Nigeria's Total Transformation (MNTT) is saying capital No to fuel subsidy removal. We challenge both President Goodluck Jonathan and his principal adviser and International Monetary Fund (IMF) agent, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to explain to the public figures released in September by KSHITJ Consultancy Services of India on the current fuel prices per litre in four OPEC member countries. The figures confirmed that a litre of petrol is now sold for N9 in Venezuela, N31.8 in Saudi Arabia, N33 in Bahrain and N34.5 in Kuwait.In the four countries, wonderful social amenities are provided while care and wellbeing of the citizens are paramount to governments and leaders of the countries.'The group listed members of the cartel as 'those who, prior to 1999, collected huge sums of money for the turnaround maintenance (TAM) of our moribund refineries, but did little or nothing to turn them around; those who collected $1billion since 2002 from government for the same purpose, but did nothing; and those who made sure that our refineries do not function so that they can remain agents and collect billions of Naira as commission on imported petroleum products.
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