Buhari, APC Engaging in Advanced Fee Fraud, Fayose Alleges …As governor Incites labour movements against president

Buhari, APC Engaging in Advanced Fee Fraud, Fayose Alleges

…As governor Incites labour movements against president

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, today accused President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) of engaging in ‘Advanced Fee Fraud’ over the removal of fuel subsidy and increment of pump price from N86.50 to N145 per litre.

Describing the increment as wickedness taken too far, he asked: “Was the federal government paying up to N58.50 as subsidy on one litre of petrol before now?”

Fayose, who reiterated his call on Nigerians, especially the labour movement, to resist what he called “this wicked act of President Buhari and his party,” added: “Those who opposed removal of fuel subsidy in 2012 and funded the ‘Occupy Nigeria’ protest must not be allowed to get away with this imposition of hardship on Nigerians now that they are in power.”

He said labour unions, civil society organisations and other well-meaning Nigerians should stand up and be counted at this crucial time in the life of the common people of Nigeria.

“There is no justification for the increment at this period when government is not paying salaries regularly, Nigerians are losing their jobs daily, prices of foodstuffs have gone over the roof and life has become so difficult for the common people. To labour Nigerians with this increment is wickedness taken too far,” he said.

In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said: “In 2012 when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of President Goodluck Jonathan

removed fuel subsidy and increased petrol price to N141 per litre, crude oil was selling at $111 per barrel. How can petrol price be increased to N145 per litre when crude oil is now $40 per barrel?

“It is on record that on May 2 this year, the federal government, in the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) template released in Abuja, told Nigerians that it was subsidising petrol at

N12.62 per litre.

“If as at May 2 petrol was being subsidised at N12.62 per litre, and now that the subsidy of N12.62 has been removed, what ought to have been added to the N86.50 pump price should be N12.62, which would have increased pump price to N99.12 per litre.

“Increasing petrol pump price by N58.50 when the federal government claimed it was subsidising the product at N12.62 per litre is clear political fraud aimed at further impoverishing Nigerians as the government will be making profit of N45.88 on each litre of petrol bought by Nigerians.”

The governor added: “How can any government with human feelings attempt to make profit of N45.88 per litre on Nigerians who are no longer getting their

salaries regularly? How can Buhari and his party impose another N45.88 per litre levy on Nigerians who are already facing severe hardship? This is wickedness!”

While describing President Buhari as a hypocrite, the Fayose said: “Nigerians should be reminded that the president once said that petrol subsidy never existed and that it was a fraud. How then can the same President Buhari tell us that he has removed the same subsidy he claimed never existed?”