Nigeria’s lead opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, on Sunday, warned that the subsisting fuel and electricity crises could snowball into nationwide protests of an order that is worse than the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, titled ‘Fuel crisis: APC is kneeling on the necks of Nigerians – PDP’, the main opposition party accused the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), of “kneeling on the necks of Nigerians.”
In the words of the opposition party: “There is a limit to what the people can bear under an administration that remains insensitive to their plights. President Buhari needs to be reminded of his duty to Nigerians, to in the least, show some empathy, competence and concern as our country rapidly drifts towards a looming precipice.
“The frustration in the country is already degenerating into a nationwide restiveness that may result in the breakdown of law and order if allowed to fester. With petrol now selling between N400 and N500 per litre, diesel at over N800 per litre, kerosene at over N750 and aviation fuel at N670 per litre, millions of businesses, employment and sources of livelihood have collapsed in both urban and rural areas, resulting in acute hardship and widespread social tension across the country.
“Our party fears that the situation is getting to a boiling point and can trigger a nationwide agitation that might be worse than the October 2020 #EndSARS protests if not addressed immediately.”
The party said that President Buhari has remained “aloof” and “absent” at a time the country battles “a collapsed national grid, protracted fuel crisis, distressed aviation sector, plummeting currency, crippled production and commercial activities.”
The party spokesperson stated: “If President Buhari could personally communicate on issues that concern his party, the APC, while in England, it is inconceivable that he failed and neglected, as always, to attend to life discounting experiences and pains encountered by Nigerians daily by the thoughtless and inhumane policies of his government.”
