By Kamil Opeyemi
The Peoples Redemption Party on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to disregard the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recommendation to phase out fuel and electricity subsidies completely.
According to the PRP, an opposition party in the country, IMF’s recommendations are insensitive and inconsiderate.
The party this is more particularly so at a time when Nigerians are grappling with worst economic hardship.
PRP, in its statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Muhammed Ishaq, said there have been serious consequences of last year’s fuel subsidy removal and massive devaluation of the Natural.
“As a sovereign nation, Nigeria should be able to decide on policies that are guaranteed to promote the overall wellbeing of its citizens without any dictations from neo-liberal and neo-colonial organisations such as the IMF and World Bank who mostly are out to service the profit motives of multinational corporations and the Western powers at the expense of our long suffering people,” the party said
It advised the government to prioritize the welfare of Nigerians and consider the socio-economic implications of removing these subsidies.
It added, “The sudden removal of fuel subsidies and massive devaluation of the national currency last year by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration on the day he came to power, led to a spike in the cost of living, causing undue hardship for millions of citizens who are already struggling to make ends meet. Phasing out electricity subsidies will only exacerbate this situation further.
“Instead of removing these essential subsidies, we propose that the Federal Government focuses on addressing the root causes of inefficiency in the fuel and power sectors.
This includes tackling massive corruption in the two sectors, promoting transparency, and investing in infrastructure to improve the delivery of these services to the citizens.”
PRP also called on the Federal Government to stand firm in its responsibility to protect the interests of its citizens; urging it to explore alternative measures that can address the nation’s financial challenges without subjecting Nigerians to further economic suffering.
“In conclusion, we would like to warn the IMF and the legion of its surrogates and parrots on the corridors of power in Nigeria to be aware that the good people of this country are carefully monitoring their nefarious antics and may be forced to respond appropriately should these surrogates now temporarily in power, go ahead with any of these anti-people policies and programmes.
“We urge the Federal Government of Nigeria to listen to outcry of the Nigerian citizens that are already crying rather than the voices of any or both of the Bretton Woods sisters of the IMF and World Bank whose advices have for decades now put the Nigerian masses in hardships,” the party stated