The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to persuade its cronies to return the money they stole from fuel subsidy while the party ruled the country.
APC made the call Wednesday in response to a statement by the PDP rejecting the recent increase in the price of fuel to N151 per liter and electricity tariff to N66 per kwh.
The main opposition party demanded an immediate reversal of the prices to avert a national crisis, as the increase will result in an upsurge in costs of goods and services and worsen the biting hardship being faced by Nigerians, who are already impoverished and overburdened by APC-imposed high cost of living in the last five years.
But the ruling party said successive PDP governments had foisted on the country a corruption-tainted fuel subsidy regime, and call on the opposition to cajole its cronies who ran the subsidy rackets, many of them in hiding abroad to return the stolen commonwealth in their possession.
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APC in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena said under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the tortuous fuel queues as a result of biting scarcities are gone.
He noted that the reviewed petroleum products pricing template has resulted in a more transparent, efficient, and realistic pricing system for petroleum products and also resulted in a constant availability of fuel nationwide.
According to APC Spokesman, the pricing template now reflects competitive and market-driven components that are supported by the citizenry.
Nabena said: “In an effort by this administration to put an end to estimated and arbitrary billing for electricity, President Buhari recently directed a nationwide mass metering programme for electricity consumers in the country.
“For the PDP that is only concerned with pushing the interests of its few cronies over the general interest and welfare of the citizenry, we don’t expect the PDP to grasp the import of this landmark presidential directive which aside improving electricity and service delivery, is also protecting the poor and vulnerable Nigerians from increased electricity tariff and arbitrary/estimated billings.
“The federal government is already working to ensure that Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) commit to increasing the number of hours of electricity supply every day and also improve on their quality of service.
“Perhaps the PDP is also unaware, that the current administration has approved a one-year waiver of import levy on electricity meters so that Nigerians who do not have meters can be supplied as early as possible at a reasonable cost.
“The APC calls on the PDP to wake up to the new Nigeria where the government works for the citizens, not a few interests”.
