The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Friday, cautioned the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) not to allow fifth columnists, whose wish is to bring down the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to have their way.
MURIC, in a statement signed by its Founder/Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, frowned at the NNPC Ltd sudden announcement of an upward review of petrol from N617 to N897 just 24 hours to the commencement of full operations by Dangote Refinery.
MURIC urged the federal government to give Dangote Refinery a free hand to operate and protect it from strangulation, adding, “To make matters worse, NNPC made itself the only marketer of Dangote fuel thereby sandwiching the latter’s product.”
The rights group stressed, “By taking these two actions, NNPC has effectively taken control of Dangote’s fuel and the real owner cannot determine the price of its own product. This is an ambush, a punch below the belt.
“NNPC Ltd must not allow fifth columnists whose wish is to bring down Tinubu-Shettima administration to have their way. NNPC should know that frustrating Nigerians is one of the fastest ways to bring a regime to a premature end.”
MURIC added, “If NNPC had not increased the price of its own fuel, the decision to monopolise Dangote’s fuel would have favoured the hoi polloi, but by increasing the price and restricting the supply of Dangote’s fuel to itself alone, NNPC has rendered Dangote Refinery helpless.
“MURIC finds NNPC’s action to be anti-people, immoral and lacking in conscience. It is an open secret that the prices of most products, particularly food items, are tied to the umbilical cords of petroleum and its price. The latter is the engine room that moves the economy.
“But NNPC Ltd has shattered the hope of the jamaahiir (masses) by raising the price of petrol and disallowing other marketers from buying from Dangote Refinery.
“This is against the spirit of free economy. It contravenes natural law of justice. It is not fair. What was the contribution of NNPC Ltd to the new refinery? How can NNPC suddenly take full control of Dangote Refinery, the hope of the masses to whose process it contributed virtually nothing?
“We charge NNPC to retrace its steps on this matter. It is too sensitive. Nigerians had placed their hopes on a fait accompli status of Dangote’s fuel to reduce hardship. This refinery must not be strangulated.”
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