Transport workers, farmers, human rights advocates, and civil society groups across Nigeria have raised opposition to the proposed implementation of the five per cent users’ charge on petrol and diesel pump prices, warning that it could deepen hardship and spark nationwide protest.
The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the non-remittance of the statutory five per cent user charge on petroleum products to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency had recently called for the enforcement of the charge as provided in the FERMA Act 2007.
According to the Act, five per cent of the pump price of petrol and diesel bought by consumer should be allocated to road maintenance, with 40 per cent going to FERMA and 60 per cent to State Road Maintenance Agencies.
This development comes against the backdrop of unstable and steadily rising pump price of petrol, which has persisted since President Bola Tinubu assumed office.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited recently increased the pump price to N925 per litre in Lagos, just two days after it had earlier raised the price to N915.
While the government seeks to raise five per cent users’ charge to fix dilapidated roads, many Nigerians believe the cost of that repair should not be borne by the “already overburdened populace.”
Speaking in an interview with
Saturday PUNCH
, the National Chairman of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association, Akintade Abiodun, accused the government of using Nigerians as “lab rats” for unpopular economic decisions.
“The powers that be in this country are taking us for a ride. They think we won’t react just because we were quiet the last time they increased fuel. Now they want to add another cost on top of the already expensive pump price.
This must be reversed,” he said.
Similarly, the National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabiru Ibrahim, expressed concern that the additional cost would lead to a sharp increase in the price of agricultural produce.
He warned that the policy would worsen food inflation.
“If fuel becomes more expensive, so will transportation and that directly affect food prices. Farm produce must be moved from rural areas to the markets, and the added costs will be passed on to the final consumers. Nigerians will cry out again,” Ibrahim added.
On its part, the Chancellor of the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Jackson Omenazu, chided the lawmakers for pursuing policies that are “anti-people.”
He warned that growing public frustration could explode if authorities continue to ignore the sufferings of citizens.
Omenazu said, “How can lawmakers sit in the comfort of their offices, after increasing their own allowances, to approve policies that will send poor Nigerians to early graves? What kind of leadership is this?
“It is only when there is a riot that they will realise what they are doing is rubbish. Nigerians are not dead; our silence is not stupidity.”
Also, the Executive Director of the Human Rights and Justice Group, Devison Nze, described the move as economically reckless and poorly timed.
“Why would any responsible government consider another fuel-based tax at a time like this? Inflation is crushing Nigerians. Instead of thinking of ways to cushion the impact, they are talking about adding more fuel to the fire,” he stated.
Nze urged lawmakers to prioritise policies that support local manufacturing and reduce the cost of goods rather than add to them.
However, the National President of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Alhaji Yusuf Othman, offered cautious support for the initiative but stressed that funds must be well managed.
“FERMA indeed needs money to fix the terrible state of Nigerian roads. But this will only be justifiable if the funds are used properly and transparently. Otherwise, it is just another burden on suffering citizens,” he stated.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Syndigate.info
).
