Samuel Marshall
Strongman Sokari Soberekon has expressed concerns regarding the inequitable situation in which a child whose mother sells ‘akara’ is required to pay the same price for the snack as a stranger. He drew a parallel to the unfair circumstances faced by owners of petroleum resources, who must pay the same prices for their products as external consumers.
Speaking to the Newswriter on Monday, 9th September 2024, the Niger Delta activist reminisced about his protest in 1991 against the official increase in petrol price from 9 and a half kobo to 15 kobo per litre – a hike which was harsh and painful but anticipated to usher in prosperity. He expressed his astonishment at the gradual rise in price to as high as N855 per litre, today, emphasizing that this escalation has not led to the promised prosperity.
Soberekon condemned the practice of imposing the same charges on both owners and buyers, alike, along with the related price increases, and called for a reevaluation of the unviable economic policies that the government has upheld for decades under the misguided belief in future prosperity.
The elder statesman urged traditional rulers to immediately devise lawful strategies to re-establish their roles as custodians of the land and its resources, advocating for a return to indigenous people-oriented governance principles, which have proven more effective in addressing systemic issues.***
