The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger has expressed its strong disapproval of the recent hike in petrol prices implemented by NNPC Ltd.
According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the retail division of NNPC Ltd. has approved a significant increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), raising it from N617 per litre to N897 per litre, effective September 3.
Alhaji Abdullahi Ability, the Vice Chairman of the PDP in Niger, voiced his concerns during a press conference in Minna on Thursday. He argued that this price surge will only exacerbate the suffering and poverty faced by ordinary Nigerians.
Ability pointed out that the removal of the fuel subsidy on May 1 had already intensified the struggles of the average citizen. He questioned the justification for the staggering increase in petrol prices, which escalated from N617 to N860 and could potentially reach N1,000 per litre.
“It is utterly insensitive for the government to impose such a price increase when countless Nigerians are already grappling with the basic necessity of food,” he lamented.
He urged the government to seek viable solutions to the pressing economic issues facing the populace instead of adding to their burdens with rising fuel costs. “This latest fuel price increase is merely another setback, pushing families who are already in distress deeper into despair,” he concluded.
