The Integrity Youth Alliance has blasted the South-South Youths Initiative for calling for the immediate removal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Managing Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari, because “his failure to play an advisory role has caused serious shame and backlash on this young administration”.
In a statement on Sunday, July 23, 2023, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Danjuma Lamido, and Patron, Comrade Adewole Kehinde, in Lagos, said that it is absurd for the South-South Youths Initiative to accuse Mele Kyari of not “advising the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the right policies to implement and at the right time to do so”.
“It will be recalled that President Tinubu, during his inaugural address at the Eagle Square, Abuja, said the 2023 budget does not have provision for a fuel subsidy regime.
“We wish to enlighten the South-South Youths Initiative that, as a Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has said there is no going back on fuel subsidy removal if elected president next year.
“Tinubu, who stated this while speaking at the business luncheon with business owners titled “Business Forward” on December 22, 2022, in Lagos, hinted that, no matter how long people protest, it would not stop him from removing fuel subsidy.
“So with the above references, it would be baseless for a group to accuse Mele Kyari of “lacking the understanding of what constitutes effective corporate governance for failing to guide Mr. President on the right steps to take,” when President Tinubu has made up his mind to remove subsidy when voted into office.
NNPC, as a Limited company, has the power to fix the prices of petrol, and the recent increase in PMS pump prices from N537 to N617 per liter was caused by forces dictated by variations in foreign exchange brought on by global market forces.
The Alliance called on Nigerians to support the Fuel subsidy removal as it would free up resources for other sectors of the economy; would be better spent on education, healthcare, and infrastructure development, amongst other key sectors; would help in establishing domestic refineries to produce more petroleum products, reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel; ensure the availability of domestic refineries will boost the country’s economy and result in massive creation of jobs for Nigerians.
