Palliatives: Stop treating Nigerians as prisoners, Igbo youths blast Tinubu

Igbo youths under the aegis of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL) has blasted the federal Government’s proposed palliative distribution to Nigerians to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

President General of the youth groups, Goodluck Ibem in a statement on Tuesday described the gesture by President Bola Tinubu as “treatment of Nigerians as prisoners” ,and urged him to drop the idea and rather reverse the pump price to N165 per litre.

He said “We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forget his prisoners palliatives which he intends to use to deceive some gullible Nigerians into accepting the fraudulent current fuel price of N630 per litre.

“Nigerians have spoken in clear and loud terms that we want a reversal to N165 per litre for petrol and forget about his Greek Gift of sharing palliatives to few APC party members in a bid to deceive Nigerians into believing that he cares."

Ibem further stated “The unilateral increment of fuel price and other petroleum products aimed at making life difficult for Nigerians is a confirmation that President Tinubu has no regard for the lives of Nigerians.

"He sees Nigerians as his prisoners who have no choice but must accept anything he wants or desires to do which is not in tandem with democratic tenets.

“President Tinubu on assumption of office increased the price of fuel from N165 to N530 and from N530 to N630, over 10 million Nigerians have died as a result of hardship.

“Armed robbery attacks have increased by 70 percent as some youths who cannot find a means of survival have resorted to armed robbery where in most cases kill their victims in a bid to disposes them of their money and valuables.

“It is disheartening that in a supposed democracy were power belongs to the people, the people are not allowed to breathe. The President and his team laughs at Nigerians as what we saw play out on the floor of the Senate where the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio and other senators laughed at Nigerians when a bill demanding that Nigerians should be allowed to breathe was read on the floor of the Senate.

“We are no longer running a democratic government in Nigeria but a kakistocracy government that has no respect for the rights of Nigeria citizens. Too sad!

“We demand that President Tinubu should reverse the fuel price to N165 per litre so that industries and companies that have closed shops as a result of the fuel increment can go back to work.

“The rate of unemployment is alarming and only reversal of fuel price to N165 per litre will save Nigerians from the present high rate of unemployment and hardship," Ibem said.