…Faults fuel price comparisons

By Dirisu Yakubu

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s independence anniversary speech as a slap on the sensibilities of Nigerians, particularly his justification of his administration’s increment of the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit, also known as fuel.

President Buhari had in his broadcast pointed out a number of oil producing countries including Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Egypt and Niger Republic where the price of fuel is higher than in Nigeria, and concluded by saying that “sustaining the level of petroleum prices is no longer possible.”

In its reaction, the PDP, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan called on President Buhari to “wake up to reality and take demonstrable urgent steps that will address the divisive tendencies and poor economic policies of his administration, which are fast decimating our dear nation under his watch.”

According to the party, “President Buhari’s attempt to justify the increase of fuel price in Nigeria by comparing it to the N168 per litre cost in Saudi Arabia is a morbid joke,” adding that “the minimum wage in Saudi Arabia is N305,113 (3000 Saudi Riyals), ten times higher than our paltry N30,000 which is largely unimplemented in Nigeria.”


The statement further read: “Is Mr. President not aware that, on the average, a person working in Saudi Arabia earns around 4,230SAR (N430, 267) to 16,700 SAR (N1, 698,693) per month?

“Our party charges Mr. President to always check his books before making such offensive comparisons including the price in Egypt where monthly average earning is around N222, 841 (9,200 EGP) against our N30,000.


“In comparing our costs with other countries such as Ghana, Chad and Niger where purchasing powers of citizens are much more higher, did Mr. President reflect on the cost of house rent, education, healthcare and average dependence on fuel for daily survival by ordinary citizens as obtainable in Nigeria?

“If the flawed assertions as evident in Mr. President’s speech are a direct reflection of how policies are formulated in his administration, then one needs not wonder why our economy is in doldrums.

“Indeed, it is imperative to state that if the Buhari administration had summoned the competence and honesty to continue the programs already laid by previous administrations under our party to revive our refineries and provide infrastructural backbone for our productive sector, fuel price will not be more than N100 per litre, in addition to the gains from by-product from crude oil.

“The PDP therefore urges Mr. President to engender harmony and productivity by allowing for more robust discourse that will lead to affordable prices for fuel and other essential commodities in our country.”

The major opposition party in the country also flayed the togetherness theme of the President’s speech, describing the allusion as a mere rhetoric.

“Our party also holds as ludicrous that President Buhari is hyping his ‘better together’ theme when the administration he heads, runs on nepotism, disregard for rule of law, human right abuses, corruption, political intolerance, suppression of free speech and aggression towards dissenting voices.

“We urge Mr. President to end his rhetoric and take practical steps to entrench the culture of rule of law and strengthen harmonious living through inclusiveness, equity in wealth distribution and equal access to opportunities for all Nigerians irrespective of creed, class, and ethnicity.

“Furthermore, credible elections are essential to harmonious living. Our party therefore restates our commendation to Mr. President for his new found commitment to non-interference in elections leading to conduct of free, fair and credible governorship election in Edo State on September 19.

“We urge President Buhari to toe the line of the Edo election in the October 10 Ondo governorship election so as to consolidate the legacy of free and fair election under his watch.

“Additionally, Mr. President should exert himself on rebuilding our economy by ending his borrowing spree and focusing on our productive capacity instead of his endless lamentation over his failures.

“Moreover, security is pivotal to our economic revival. The unceasing acts of insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in the last five years have wrecked our nation’s productivity and threatened her corporate existence.

“It is therefore worrisome that Mr. President’s speech did not address the call on him by Nigerians demanding that he rejigs his security architecture to inject new blood that will effectively confront our security challenges.

“Our party restates our belief in the potentials of our nation and urges Mr. President to seek help by engaging more competent hands to assist in handling the affairs of our nation,” it further noted.

VANGUARD

PDP OR APC ARE OUT TO DECEIVE NIGERIANS

The fuel price comparison was very lame and useless. There is no basis for such comparison!

Noted

What can I say

Apt response. The fuel comparison wasn't intelligent...

Ok

Says Keyboard warriors opposition

Nigerians got what they wanted well at least the majority of Nigerians

In as much I am a proud PMB supporter however as an economist I cannot fault the economic argument put forward by PDP. It's on point.

I'm being forced to believe in one Nigeria

helinues:
Says Keyboard warriors opposition

tomorrow this fellow will claim he doesn't support any party.

Awon APC keyboard warrior.

Buhari government us suffocating.

kahal29:
In as much I am a proud PMB supporter however as an economist I cannot fault the economic argument put forward by PDP. It's on point.

It's not on point. Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Chad, Niger and Egypt populations put together is lesser than Nigeria's.

Saudi minimum wage should be higher, it has only 50m people but export 10m barrels of crude daily. Nigeria's population is 200m but export less than 2m barrels of crude daily. Saudi main revenue is 400% higher than Nigeria's, while its population is 300% lesser than Nigeria's.


I AM DONE TALKING

Wilstino:
Apt response. The fuel comparison wasn't intelligent...

You. Expected. Anything. Intelligent. From. Buhari?

[img]https://media1./images/88a5c480254d1a10e49be765f56b23d7/tenor.gif?itemid=10848013[/img]

Buhari ain't no hot shit, but warm diarrhea

Buhari

We Nigerians are just funny set of pple. Since time immemorial, we all wail, rant and complain about how bad the nation is, how bad the politicians and leaders are yet, nobody does anything serious about it.

The ones that do, it's the same Nigerians that would mock and discourage them... just like today's revolutionary march.

The ONLY normal pple in Nigeria are NOT yet born!

ok

It is a kun- fu- kick to Nigerians..


IMO

We don't need a president

The big question is what do Nigerians really want??

Some said Buhari is bad which I agree bt In same sentence said we shud go back to Jonathan and even apologized to him for leading a highly corrupt government that was clueless for the most part despite having so many advantages and things going for it.

Nigerians shud have standards and demand for it and stop this back and forth nonsense.

Just like Buhari, I have nothing reasonable to say.
Mods allocate this space to someone else.

We have not grown to our potential as a nation even at 60 its unfortunate.

What about China?

JAMO84:
It's not on point. Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Chad, Niger and Egypt populations put together is lesser than Nigeria's.

Saudi minimum wage should be higher, it has only 50m people but export 10m barrels of crude daily. Nigeria's population is 200m but export less than 2m barrels of crude daily. Saudi main revenue is 400% higher than Nigeria's, while its population is 300% lesser than Nigeria's.


I AM DONE TALKING

Idiots,I know you people must castigate buhari for whatever he said today. See ehn, everybody in Nigeria including me is bad.

So bleep u all hypocrites.

A slap to himself

Cus we're not surprised

PDP MUST WAIL, SINCE THEY HAVE NO ACCESS TO NIGERIAN TREASURY. They recently succeeded in emptying the Edo State Government treasury.