Joint Action Front, (JAF) a pro-labour and rights advocacy movement has asked Nigerians to prepare for a mass protest over the scarcity and hike in prices of fuel in the country, saying it is currently mobilising individuals and groups towards resisting the development.
In a statement issued today, the Chairman and secretary of JAF, Dr. Dipo Fashina and Comrade Biodun Aremu, accused the Federal Government of masterminding a hike in the prices of fuel products through an artificially induced scarcity.
Condemning this development, JAF said the forthcoming nationwide demonstration would be similar to the Occupy Nigeria rally put up collectively by civil society organizations in January over same subject of fuel price increase.
JAF, which was part of the organization of the highly-successful rallies in Lagos, restated its commitment to opposing the corrupt lifestyles of Nigeria’s rulers.
The group observed that even NNPC fuel stations are currently selling gasoline for between N110 to N140 per litre as against N97 official price.
It further alleged that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is utterly insincere with the claim that it would shut down any filling station selling above the official price, pointing out that that claim was aimed at disarming Nigerians from protesting against the prevalence of fuel scarcity and its accompanied hike in price.
“As at [today] all the filling stations sell above the official price and yet none has been shut,” the statement said, urging all Nigerians to prepare to join the struggle wherever they may be when such action is declared.”
They also enjoined members of the public to compile the names and locations of all filling stations selling fuel products above the official prices of N97 a litre of fuel, N50 a litre of Kerosene and N70 a litre of diesel, and to make that information public through www.jointactionfront.blogspot.com and social media.
The rights advocacy group also strongly condemned the weak effort and poor emergency measures of the Federal Government in addressing the displacement of multitudes through recent the flooding in Kogi State.
It asserted that the disaster has affected the inhabitants and the neighboring communities alike through a sharp increase in the cost of food items and potable water. The poorly combated flooding has resulted in chaotic traffic situations and untold sufferings to the North-South travelers who have been stranded for days, the group said.
JAF suggested that these situations have only exposed a wicked and selfish ruling class, and stressed that the proposed privatization and deregulation policies are to the detriment of the public and in the interest of the few.
“This is one more instance that has exposed the present ruling class of looters and its preferred wicked policies of greed and profits in the guise of Privatisation and Deregulation agenda (private interests) which have been responsible for neglect and near total collapse of infrastructure, thereby condemning Nigerians to for the untold hardship and unnecessary sufferings.”
The full text of the statement:
PRESS STATEMENT
FG SHOULD RESTORE ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF FUEL @ N97 OR FACE MASS ACTION!
IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO THE FLOOD VICTIMS!!
NIGERIANS, ARISE TO RESIST THE POLICIES OF PRIVATISATION, DEREGULATION & FOOD CRISIS NOW!!!
1. The Joint Action Front (JAF) wishes to alert Nigerians of thesurreptitious plot by the Federal Government and the oil marketers to impose a new price regime for petroleum products, thereby artificially inducing and encouraging scarcity of petroleum products (petrol, kerosene and diesel) and its attendant hike in prices across the country.
2. JAF notes that filling stations across the country, including NNPC branded outlets sell petrol at N110 to N140 per litre instead of the official price of N97, while kerosene is sold at N120 N150 a litre instead of N50.
3. JAF does not find credible the recent statement credited to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that it will SHUT down any filling station selling above the official prices, which is deceptive and aimed at disarming Nigerians from protesting against the current prevalence of fuel scarcity and hike in prices. As at date all the filling stations sell above the official prices and yet none has been shut.
4. Nigerians should be reminded that the January 3rd 16th 2012
MASS ACTION, in which JAF played a leading role, compelled the Federal Government to retreat to the new so-called 40% subsidized price of N97 for petrol as against its January 1st 2012 wicked hike in the price of petrol from N65 N141.
5. JAF is in the process of mobilising Nigerians and groups across
the country towards resisting the current scarcity in fuel products
and hike in prices. JAF therefore urges NIGERIANS to prepare to join the struggle anywhere they are when such action is declared.
6. We urge Nigerians to make PUBLIC (through www.jointactionfront.blogspot.com and other social media) names and locations of all FILLING STATIONS selling fuels above the current official prices (petrol @ N97 a litre, kerosene @ N50 a litre and diesel @ N70 a litre).
7. Also, JAF strongly condemns the Federal Government for its
insensitivity and lack of emergency measures to address the plights of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians displaced recently by the River Niger floods, which has caused agonies to not only the people in Kogi State but to those in neighbouring states and other Nigerians. The flood disaster has equally caused hike in the prices of food, unavailability of potable water to residents, chaotic traffic situations and untold sufferings to the North-South travelers who were stranded for days.
8. This is one more instance that has exposed the present rulingclass of looters and its preferred wicked policies of greed and
profits in the guise of Privatisation and Deregulation agenda (private interests) which have been responsible for neglect and near total collapse of infrastructure, thereby condemning Nigerians to for the untold hardship and unnecessary sufferings.
9. SYSTEM CHANGE REMAINS OUR GOAL!
JAF has consistently commends to Nigerians that we need a
STRUGGLE to end the rule of the CLASS OF LOOTERS. For the avoidance of doubt, Privatisation and Deregulation are in Nigeria, avenues for virtual stealing of the people’s property and looting. We have seen this in the banking, aviation and the petroleum sector. The same greed and thievery will rule the privatization of the electricity sector.
Therefore, all organizations of the people must join the resistance to exploiters and their rule.
We STAND by SYSTEM CHANGE, which means:
“Nigeria is rich. The wealth belongs to the people. Most Nigerians are hungry, have no jobs, no education, no healthcare, no potable water, no electricity supply and no affordable transportation. Most cannot feed their families or educate their children. Those who are lucky to have jobs are not much different. They also cannot afford a decent living for their families. On the other hand, there is a very tiny group of Nigerians who have cornered the wealth that belong to the working people and the poor, who are in the majority. They loot the treasury and use their stolen wealth to sustain themselves in power through their political parties. They use their power to get richer and richer when the poor get poorer and poorer. This is the system of exploitation and oppression. It is the system that brings out the army and the police to kill poor people when they protest against oppression and exploitation.
We want to change that system and replace it with a system where the working people and the millions of people who are sufferings under the system of exploitation will win power and ensure that the wealth of Nigeria is used to ensure a good life for the majority of the people who are now exploited and oppressed. System change is not replacing one exploiter’s government by another exploiter’s government. It is replacing an exploiter’s government by a people’s government to reorganise Nigeria and put an end to exploitation and oppression”.
DR. DIPO FASHINA COMRADE ABIODUN AREMU
JAF Chairperson JAF Secretary
