From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Civil Society Networks operating in the 19 northern states, yesterday, alerted President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians are dying due to the rising cost of living occasioned by the high rate of inflation.
In an open letter dated December 9, they expressed concern over the proposal by the administration to do away with fuel subsidy in 2022.
Signatories to the letter included Idris Ozovehe Muraina, chairperson, Kogi NGOs Network; Ibrahim Waiya, president, Kano Civil Society Forum, Kano State; Ibrahim Tudu, chairman, Zamfara Coalition of NGOs, Zamfara State; AbdulrahmanAbdullahi, chairman, Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, Katsina State; and Ibrahim Yusuf, chairman, Association of NGOs, Gombe State.
According to them, the country’s inflation rate stood at a four-year high, standing at more than 18 percent increase in March 2021, with food prices going high by almost 23 percent during the same period.
They projected that another 30 million Nigerians could slip into poverty arising from the fact that they may not be able to feed their families if fuel subsidy was removed.
They contended that the proposal to remove the subsidy, despite the strong points, deserves a rethink.
“It is our honest submission that removal of fuel subsidy could only be perceptible when our refineries are fixed and operate maximally or they are privatised to allow private business to own and operate them,” the group said.