The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called on the federal government to reverse the hikes in fuel price and electricity tarrif, decrying that students are worst hit by the increase because of the prevailing economy.
It’s National President Comrade Danielson Bamidele Akpan made the call Thursday in Abuja during a world press conference it organised, saying the effects of the coronavirus pandemic is still biting so hard on citizens.
Akpan said that Nigerians are bewildered that having been under months of lockdown they are being welcomed to normal life with increases in prices of essential commodities, saying this is a burden too harsh for citizens to bear.
He maintained that, “The effects of these increases amidst earlier increment made in value added tax and multiple taxations on goods and services have started causing unbearable consequences, there by compounding the obvious imbalances in the economic and social life of Nigerians, most of whom are dependent on unstable electricity supply and PMS to do business and make ends meet.
“Nigerian students in particular will be hard hit by these policies and therefore cannot concentrate or cope with studies as their usually managed 101 feeding standard can no longer be guaranteed. Many students have been forced out of school already due to high cost of living and deteriorating economic conditions of their families,” he stressed.
He noted that complete removal of subsidy is inevitable, adding however that the timing of removal and the effects of the removal is wrong.
“The new normal in the world requires the channelling of resources to profitable ventures with human face, conscious and deliberate growth plans, discoveries and discussions on sustainability models of revenue generation, firm economic programs with deep impact on citizens and how to prevent the country from another recession, rather than continue an unsustainable squander of the nation’s resources in the name of subsidy.
He therefore called on the government to create policies that seeks the interest of the common man, calling for a revamp of the oil refineries to cushion the effects on the citizenry.