Rethink electricity tariff, fuel price increase – Ex presidential aspirant tells FG

By Christiana Ekpa

A 2019 presidential aspirant, Ibrahim Abubakar Lajada, has joined other concerned Nigerians in condemning the recent sudden hike of fuel price and electricity tariff by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government.
In a press statement issued yesterday, he said he is not in support of the hike in the cost of the two products, especially considering the untold hardship that many Nigerians, particularly the masses, are going through under the APC-led federal government, as many cannot afford three square meals a day.
According to him, “This is an irrational decision and is uncalled for, as the increase in the prices of the two products will have negative multiplier effect on Nigerians, especially the masses”.
Ibrahim said “Is this the type of change that APC-led federal government want to compensate Nigerians with, through the hike of the two products”, stressing that this is unacceptable, adding “We will not fold our arms when it comes to speaking the truth, especially for the benefit of the downtrodden Nigerians”.
He noted that Nigeria’s economy has been badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which virtually grounded economic activities in the country for almost six months.
Ibrahim further explained that the lockdown enforced across Nigeria in order to curtail spread of the pandemic has also negatively jeopardised the lives of many Nigerians, especially the masses, as well as on the much-expected good harvest, which has led to the skyrocketing of foodstuff.
The federal government, he stressed, should have first put into consideration the continuous untold hardship Nigerians are experiencing and hasten to cushion its effect on their lives instead of increasing the prices of the two products overnight and at the same time.
According to him, since the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria and the subsequent lockdown, many Nigerians, especially the masses, have not yet recovered from their losses, emphasizing that the federal government must have a re-think and reverse its decision on the price hike of the products, if really it is on the side of the masses of the country and not a mere rhetoric.