The Arewa Citizens Watch for Good Governance (ACWGG), said it will mobilise its members and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to protest against what it described as “officially induced hunger and high cost of living in the country.”
In a statement on Monday in Kaduna, the group warned that if the federal government fails to address its demands within 10 days, it will embark on a mass peaceful protest. The statement signed by the chairman of the group, Aliyu Sani, among other demands,
asked the federal government to as a matter of urgency, roll out palliatives to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal as well as create a conducive security atmosphere for farmers to go to farm.
The group said it is saddened that millions of voiceless Nigerians are suffering following escalating prices foodstuffs and high cost of living in the country.
The group demanded for the immediate removal of the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari “for misleading President Tinubu into removing Petrol subsidy without provision of palliative measures.”
Sani also called for “a comprehensive investigation into the subsidy regime and the corruption allegations within the oil and gas sector, as evidenced by the suspicious drop in daily consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and the astronomic rise in the general revenue of the country.”
According to the group, “The recent increase in NNPCL’s output, without corresponding investment in the company, has instead exposed the pervasive corruption within the sector.
“We find it alarming that the company was declaring paltry production volume, which falls short of our OPEC quota even though the country has not recorded any major disaster.
“The criminals in the Oil and Gas sector are only responding to the body language of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed’s Zero tolerance to bad governance, hence, the magical performance by people desperate to keep their offices.
“This raises serious doubts about the integrity and competence of the current leadership at NNPCL.”
The group further, expressed “strong disapproval of the reported plan to re-award the pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo, a move that we consider detrimental to the capacity of the Armed Forces to curtail internal and external aggression”.
The group said as a nation blessed with abundant natural resources, it is only fair that the benefits of these resources are felt by all citizens, not just a select few.
According to Sani, the mismanagement and corruption within the oil and gas sector have hindered economic growth and contributed to the financial burden faced by ordinary Nigerians.
“We expect the administration to go after those that have benefitted from the opaque subsidy aspiration just as Nigerians are bearing with the hardship induced by the sudden removal of the subsidy.
“Our people cannot continue to die of hunger, while the people that plunge the country into the bad situation continue to enjoy the privileges of their offices.
The group warned that if its demands are not met within 10 days, “we shall have no other option than lead hungry, depressed, and frustrated Nigerians to a massive civil and peaceful protest to ensure that they are achieved.
