Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has
warned against an increase in fuel price.
Speaking at the 19th Daily Trust Dialogue in Abuja, he said
an increase in fuel price will push millions of Nigerians into poverty.
He said this following the recommendation issued by the
National Economic Council for fuel price to be pegged at N302 per litre.
The former Head of State said, “Insecurity in the country is
worsened by our dear economic situation. Unemployment and underemployment
remain at a high level. Over 18 million Nigerians are still caught up in
needless poverty. All of these tend to have negative effects on security. In
fact, Nigeria now faces a full security crisis that is confounded by the
COVID-19 global pandemic and the banditry in many states in Northern Nigeria.
“Most of these have disrupted the final value change across
the country and negatively impacted the ability of Nigeria to produce, process,
and distribute.
“There is a continuous rise in the prices of food items
beyond the reach of many Nigerians. On top of all these, fuel prices are
expected to rise significantly in the coming months as announced last November.
We all know that when this happens, it will push many millions of Nigerians
into poverty.”
On insecurity, Abdulsalami stated that the situation has
overstretched the country’s security forces and has led to the death of
thousands.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Nigeria is once again at crossroads.
Insecurity remains the single, most difficult challenge for the country. The
Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, violence
in the South-East, kidnappings and abductions of travellers across many states
all continue to fester in the land.
“In addition to these, ethnic, communal and religious conflicts
are rearing their head again in many parts of the country. All of these have
greatly challenged and overstretched our security forces. This has caused
thousands of deaths and millions of internally displaced persons in the country
over the past years,” he said.
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