Posted by By Sheriff Balogun on
Students' Union leaders of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, have called on Nigerian students of all various institutions to join the mass rally slated for today in Lagos over the recent increase in prices of petroleum products.
Students' Union leaders of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, have called on Nigerian students of all various institutions to join the mass rally slated for today in Lagos over the recent increase in prices of petroleum products.
However, he cautioned the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and civil society groups to be more vigilant in the protest, since the acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, said they have the right to protest.
In a statement by the President, Mr. Lanre Idowu, Public Relations Officer, Onabowale Adekunle, and General Secretary, Akinbajo Idris, today's rally will be a total stop to all act of injustice displayed by the Federal Government since the inception of democratic rule in the country. They added that "we restate our commitment to and solidarity with all groups in mobilising Nigerians on the issues, which bind all the masses of Nigeria together."
According to them, "we say boldly with disdain and utter dismay that this shows the insensitivity of President Obasanjo-led civilian administration that this regime has nothing better to offer the Nigerians who have been groaning and suffering under the government's maladministration, bad economic, social and educational policies."
The statement, however, added that Nigerian students and over 25,000 students of OAU, are saying the fuel price increase is not necessary and the reasons given for it are baseless and not tenable.
The statement said "today, we want immediate reversal of fuel prices, resuscitation of our refineries, an end to the barbaric deregulation policy of the downstream sector, mass action against such tyrannical, illiberal and capitalistic policies, government should diversify into other sectors of the economy and dissuade from practicing mono-economy."
The statement added that "daily survival is an ongoing war with no end in sight everything was like a pipe dream and no one is sure of tomorrow".
"The truth is that we are suffering the consequences of not having functional refineries and the evils of the government's privatization of the downstream sector".