July 24, (THEWILL) – A coalition of Civil Society groups in Edo State under the aegies of Edo State Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), on Monday, protested against the rise in cost of living in country, occasioned by the subsidy removal on fuel.
The groups, in a march through major streets in Benin City, brandished placards with various inscriptions, such as “In less than two months, Tinubu Government is choking Nigerians to death, Tinubu let us breathe,
“Kill corruption not Nigerians, cost of living in Nigeria is choking us, FG allow the poor to breath and Keep your palliatives, fix our refinaries”
One of the protesters, Olu Martins, insisted that the Federal Government should have put the necessary palliatives in place before going ahead with removal of fuel subsidy.
Addressing newsmen, EDOCSO interim president, Comrade Austin Enabulele, said while the group appreciated the removal of the petroleum subsidy by the federal government, the government should have put modality in place to cushion the pains that the removal will have on the poor masses
“We appreciate that he has removed subsidy because they are using it to steal from us but then, before you do that, you must put palliative in place, you must ensure that the refineries are working even if it is two, they should be working so that they can be able to buy fuel in an affordable price in Nigeria”, Enabulele said.
He quarried the rationale behind the N8,000 proposed palliative for 12 million Nigerians which will eventually amount to N996 billion, while N70 billion will be spent on 469 national assembly members.
“And we have come to tell him that we don’t need the N8000 palliatives. He should keep it to himself. It is another way of stealing Nigerians’ money.
“How do you get the statistics of 12 million Nigerians that you want to pay N996 billion to as palliatives? Meanwhile, you want to spend N70 billion for the National House of Assembly which are just 469 members.
“Is that not stealing? Is that not calling Nigerians fools? We want to let President Bola Tinubu know that we are not fools and that enough is enough”, Enabulele added.
Speaking also, President, Talakawa’s Parliament (TP), Comrade Kola Edokpayi, said “It is no longer news that the poverty rate has increased under the watch of our president. It is sad we are where we are today. We cannot continue like this. Imagine lawmakers proposed N70bn palliative when the masses are suffering.”
Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, addressed the protesters at the assembly complex. Agbebaku expressed solidarity with the protesters over the proposed palliatives.
