Chairman of the Sam Nkire Political Advisory, Chief Sam Nkire, has lent his voice to the call on the Federal Government not to remove fuel subsidy at this time.

Chief Nkire told journalists in Abuja, yesterday, that increase in the price of petroleum products at this time when Nigerians are in dire security and economic stress could prove disastrous.

He said: “Any increase in the price of petroleum products, especially petrol, can easily ignite civil unrest and worsen the already bad security and economic situation in the country.”

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He warned that “implementing the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hook line and sinker, sometimes, without local considerations, could bring more trouble to the People.”

Chief Nkire also said “the extremely poor Nigerians may no longer bear further policies which could bring about inflation but would rather welcome fuel, food, health and housing subsidy, in order to maintain the prevailing delicate political, ethnic and religious equilibrium now holding out in country.”

The veteran journalist and politician, who is also an expert in Society, Peace and Conflict Studies added that withdrawing fuel subsidy in a situation of acute joblessness and hopelessness could engender civil disobedience and further weaken the ability of the defence forces to contain Boko Haram.