The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ekiti State chapter, is to shut down all tertiary institutions in the state on Tuesday, to protest the hike in the price of Premium motor spirit, fondly called petrol by the federal government.
NANS, in a statement by the chairman of the chapter, Comrade Shina Awopeju, on Sunday, said the astronomical increase of the pump price of petrol from N87 to N145 by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government , was ‘’cruel , wicked, insensitive and brazenly oppressive.’’
Awopeju said all tertiary institutions in the state, both private
and public , would be shut down on Tuesday, May 17 in protest if President Buhari refuses to reverse the policy, he described as ill-timed and obnoxious. The students’ leader averred that the unwarranted increase would exacerbate the level of inflation in the already debased economy and exert untold hardship on poor Nigerians.
“Everybody appreciates the fact that when the price of petrol goes, the transport cost will go higher . This has been the case even when the increase is only marginal.
“The be negative impact of the price of petrol going up goes beyond pushing up the transport cost. It is also expected to raise the cost of producing goods and services, in particular, the prices of goods, clothing and other necessities of life will go up and this will affect the poor Nigerians, of which Nigerian students constitute over 80%.
“We are going to shutdown the campuses all over the federation and reenact the Occupy Nigeria Protest against the removal of subsidy from petroleum products next week, ” he said.
NANS chastised President Buhari for allegedly failing to fulfill his electioneering promises to Nigerians, in spite of the overwhelming supports accorded him during the 2015 presidential poll.
“Nigerians are gradually losing trust in President Buhari ,because what we are getting were not the kind of change we bargained for.
“The federal government should find a way of making our refineries functional and operational than to be increasing fuel price at will, ”NANS posited.
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