- Issue 7-day Ultimatum To Buhari To Meet Demands
Youths under the auspices of Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide (YCYW), have lamented the steady increase in prices of petroleum products in the country, issuing a 7-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to review the situation in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
The group threatened to embark on a nationwide protest should the president fail to take an urgent action on the steady increase in prices of petroleum products
This was contained in a statement issued ny the Council President, Aare Oladotun Hassan and made available to The New Diplomat.
The New Diplomat reports several parts of the country have been hit by fuel scarcity with queues seen building up in fuel stations in states like Lagos, Osun, Akwa-Ibom, Oyo among other states.
Consequently, this has shot up the prices of fuel in some parts of the country as some marketers are selling between N200 to N250 per litre.
Worried by this development, the Yoruba youths in Abuja have tasked Buhari to intervene on issues concerning price and scarcity of fuel.
The group also asked Buhari to sack the General Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari for gross incompetence.
The statement reads in part, “We have no choice than to rise in defence of Nigerian masses, for it is unarguable that the NNPC management under Mele Kyari is incompetent, weak and incapacitated, hence our clarion call for his immediate replacement with a better competent hand.
“Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide shall be marching in protest to press home our demands should the needful not be done in a week’s time from date of this press release (On or before 17th November, 2022).
“We are constrained to make this demand after careful review of situation across the country since the beginning of this year 2022, it all started with importation of adulterated fuel that caused millions of Nigerians unbearable damage to their vehicles without any verifiable compensation nor apology from the NNPC till date, afterwards the bad turned worst situation is the constant internal meddling and scarcity with no genuine reasons.
“The next Nigerians witnessed is the astronomical hike in the pump price of fuel and diesel to the tune of 250/ltr and 750-800/ltr respectively.
“Aside the undeniable overbearing consequences of PMS and diesel in our day-to-day activities, poor coordination and reckless management of the NNPC: being the apex Nigeria’s oil management company inevitably remains the greatest negative factor responsible for the hash and dwindling economy downturn leading to the high poverty rates in the country.
“Businesses that rely solely on diesel are dying in droves on a daily basis, unbearable cost of transportation and movements of goods and services skyrocketed which consequently influenced the constant high inflation rates at double digit.
“While relying on the cooperation of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources headed by President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Mr Mele Kyari for gross incompetence, we believe that he had destroyed the President’s goodwill among Nigerian masses, as his incompetence has brought about untold hardship on the citizens.”