Following yesterday’s severe hardship in the country, the support of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors for President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy dwindled.
At a meeting in Abuja to assess the situation of the country and the plight of Nigerians due to economic and security difficulties, the governors of the opposition parties made this statement.
The governors regretted believing there were safeguards built into the process, even if they acknowledged supporting the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy.
But they did point out that the naira has been falling sharply, and that with the cost of living going up, Nigeria is practically on the verge of becoming Venezuela.
Venezuela, like Nigeria, is an oil-producing nation in South America, but it has recently had tremendous economic problems, such as triple-digit inflation and a massive exodus of millions of people looking for better chances elsewhere. After reaching 234 percent the year before, its inflation rate dropped to slightly around 190% last year.
While lamenting the depreciation of the Naira, the PDP governors who gathered in Abuja as part of the PDP Governors’ Forum reiterated their call for a state police force.
The governors from the opposing party did admit that they had been coordinating with the federal government to alleviate the situation, but they also said that the federal government needed to start doing something quickly in conjunction with all the state governments to solve the problems for good.
During his inauguration on May 29, 2023, President Tinubu announced the elimination of the controversial gasoline subsidy, leading to an instantaneous spike in the prices of petrol and other products and services.
Recent months have seen demonstrations in areas including as Kano, Niger, and Rivers areas in response to the exorbitant cost of living.
Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State and chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, told reporters just after a three-hour meeting, “We have been working closely with the federal government since the inception of this administration.” His remarks followed a similar tone. The federal government is fully responsible for monetary and economic policies, as well as the growing cost of living. We have been working with them to ensure that we do not cause any distractions.
Because this administration received the support of the majority of Nigerians in the election, members of the National Economic Council and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum are working together across party lines to mitigate the impact of these policies. In an effort to help our lower-level population, we have extended a helping hand and opened the food stockpiles.However, when this administration first came office, we were in favor of doing away with subsidies because we thought there were safeguards and because we should stick to our collective decisions. Without a doubt, though, we have witnessed the naira’s free slide. We are rapidly approaching Venezuela due to the rising expense of life.
“We reiterate our call for state police with appropriate safeguards to avoid any abuse or overreach by any tier of government,” the governors stated in response to the naira’s devaluation and the need for state police.
The Forum expressed its disapproval of the Naira’s depreciation and urged the country’s fiscal and monetary leaders to address the problem.
The responsibility for ensuring that the government takes actions that would benefit everyone lies with Nigerians and other national organs, he said, adding that PDP governors provide constructive criticism without attacking anyone.
The PDP, he asserted, is the country’s most experienced and democratic political party. What we are doing is providing constructive criticism to the outrageous policies of the federal government, he stated, adding that they respect the sensibility and judgment of Nigerians and that they have chosen to place APC at the center of administration.