NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL PLAN PROTEST IN RIVERS STATE OVER WORSENING FUEL SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY
The Rivers State Chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) says arrangements are in top gear to stage a public protest in Rivers State, that would further paralyze economic activities, if the Federal Government does not intensify efforts to address the biting fuel situation in the country.
The NYCN led by Comrade (Rotr) NWISABARI BANI SAMUEL also condemned the price hike in the petroleum products.
A statement signed by his media aide, Comrade GOODWAY WALUS NNAANEE, Rotr NWISABARI BANI alleged that the Federal Government in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) deliberately created the fuel situation, which is now being perceived to be a sinister attempt to increase the pump prizes of petroleum products and make life unbearable for the Nigerian masses.
The Rivers State Chairman of NYCN, Comrade NWISABARI BANI SAMUEL described the excuse by the Federal Government that the current scarcity and hike of petroleum products resulted from the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine is rather unfounded.
“The NYCN is very much aware of the move by the Federal Government and NNPC to create artificial scarcity of the commodity in other to raise demand and allow for their sinister price hike to stand”.
The statement therefore, threatened to mobilized Rivers youths and stage a mass protest that would shut down the State, if the Federal Government and NNPC fail to revisit the current pump price.
He vowed that Nigerian youths, especially those in Rivers State could no longer tolerate the alleged marginalization meted on the common masses by the Government of the day.
“We have decided to take our destinies into our hands by ensuring that we stage a protest to push for the actualization of our Constitutional rights”.
The youth leader also warned the relevant Federal Government agencies like the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and NNPC not to blame the youths for any civil unrest that may arise in Rivers State, if they did nothing about the hike of fuel.
Comrade (Rotr) NWISABARI BANI SAMUEL, said that the civil unrest will result in continuous blockage of all entries into Rivers State, mostly the Airport Road and ever-busy expressways.
“We want to warn clearly that since we are not considered as Nigerians like other citizens, since we are not Nigerians and we lack identity, this administration has nothing to offer us. From now, we have decided that we are not going to wait for another four years. We are going to take our destinies into our hands.
“By this, we are calling on the Federal Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other bodies responsible for the exportation of oil and gas to take a new dimension towards the current fuel prize before Rivers youths would express our grievances”.