By Juliana Nwachukwu
A human rights group, Human Dignity Restoration Association, (HDRA), Sunday, in Onitsha, Anambra State, has condemned in strong terms the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, saying that it was ill timed, as it was unexpected and no alternative as improvise provided to cushion the effect on Nigerians.
Condemning the removal, the National President of HDRA, Mr Jude Achebe, said, "It's still impromptu as far as social welfare is concerned.
"Section 14(2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 declares that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. In this declaration, the security and welfare of the people are conjunctively presented as a sole purpose.
"Accordingly, the primary purpose of government is seen as one but it has two interwoven limbs, namely: the security of the people and the welfare of the people. Notably, the deployment of the adjective “primary” in the said constitutional declaration suggests that the security and welfare of the people shall be the main or principal purpose of government in Nigeria.
"Failure of the government in this primary purpose will give birth to, if not tantamount to failure of the government in every other purpose because without the accomplishment of the primary purpose, the accomplishment of every other purpose of government shall be baseless and meaningless."
In a press release signed and issued to newsmen by the HDRA Director team, Mr Remigius Nnaemeka Amadi, on behalf of the National President, the group noted that the issue of petrol subsidy has lingered so long that people have forgotten that Nigeria was once a net exporter of refined petroleum products.
"Various administrations have been accused of using it as a straw or even pipe to suck the country dry. It has been suspected to become an easy cash cow and conduit for successive governments," he further explained.
The HDRA boss said that removing premium motor spirit (PMS) subsidy without certain policies and activities that ought to precede it will amount to direct attack on the lives and well being of Nigerians, warning that harsh economic situations can kill as fast as atomic bombs.
He said, "aside the great hardship it will bring to Nigerians, most of whom already lived beyond the poverty line, the government has done almost nothing to prepare the nation for the new regime of removal. The past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, spent more than N2 trillion on Social Investment Programme (SIP).
" Yet, an estimated 133 million Nigerians, according to statistics, have sunk into multi dimensional poverty, just as another 24.2 million people face acute food insecurity.
"Subsidy removal is good but should not be removed without any alternative. Before removing subsidy, government should improvise for balance welfare of the people. Fix about four refineries we have already, other local refineries recovered from criminals should be upgraded to functional refineries since they can refine those ones called kpo fire in local parlance.
"People should know when it will happen in advance. Because of how long fuel subsidy has been with us, HDRA would advocate a minimum of two years’ notice and before then alternative welfare of the people are guaranteed.
"During the period, government efforts on the programmes to improve options for affordable transportation, healthcare, education, employment and the like, should be accelerated and should form part of a robust communication strategy that helps to prepare the citizenry for such a major change in policy and its potential impact."
According to him, the past administration failed woefully to address subsidy in its eight years, hence the practice has become the bastion of corruption in Nigeria. Various administrations have gotten used to using it as a straw or even pipe to suck the country dry. It has become an easy cash cow and conduit for successive governments.
"The security and welfare of the people should be the primary purpose of the government. The government should fix the nation’s refineries and make them functional to ensure that Nigeria does not only depend on importation of petroleum products.
"Any government action that is detrimental to the lives and welfare of the people should be discouraged," he posited. (MOI)
The information officer reports from Onitsha
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