Don’t Remove Subsidy On Petrol – NANS Tells Govt

Don’t
Remove
Subsidy On
Petrol –
NANS Tells
Govt
The National
Association of
Nigerian
Students
(NANS) , says it
will not support
the removal of
fuel subsidy
either by the
outgoing or
incoming
administrations.
A statement
issued by
Nwankwo
Ezekiel , NANS’
Public Relations
Officer and made
available to the
News Agency
of Nigeria
(NAN) , in Abuja
on Monday, said
removing fuel
subsidy was
anti-people.
The statement
said NANS took
the decision
after wide
consultations
with the
majority of its
affiliate member
unions, all its
structures as
well as past
leaders.
It called on
President
Goodluck
Jonathan not to
assent to the
budget when it
gets to his table
if there was no
provision for fuel
subsidy in it.
“We enjoin the
National
Assembly to
have another
look at their
approved budget
and make
provisions for
fuel subsidy
before
forwarding it to
the President for
his assent.”
“The incoming
administration
has said so much
about blocking
leakages and we
believe that the
subsidy
provisions are
not part of the
leakages to be
blocked.”
“The subsidy is
almost the only
benefit the poor
Nigerian masses
derive from our
abundant
petroleum
resources.”
“We hereby
remind the
government that
in 2012, Nigerians
rose in unison
against the
removal leading
to the ‘Occupy
Protest’ that
almost crumbled
our national
economy’’, it
said.
According to the
statement,
Nigerian
students are
ever ready to
once again be in
the fore front of
agitations
against removal
of fuel subsidy
and will not shy
away from such
responsibility.
It said that
Nigeria’s
economy was
still a mono
economy; solely
dependent on oil,
adding that any
drastic hikes in
price of fuel
would trigger
hyper inflation
and hardship.
The statement,
therefore, said
there was an
urgent need to
diversify the
economy and
broaden the
foreign exchange
earnings of the
country through
other means.