Subsidy Removal: Northern group calls for Kyari’s resignation, plans mass protest

The Arewa Citizens Watch for Good Governance (ACWGG), a watchdog group advocating good governance, has announced plans for massive protests on August 3rd to express dissatisfaction with the leadership of Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The group is calling for Kyari’s immediate sack in response to the recent increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, which has exacerbated widespread hunger in the Northern part of the country. The ACWGG also highlighted the 2022 and early 2023 artificial fuel scarcity that resulted in long queues at filling stations.  “Miraculously, the queues disappeared immediately after the 2023 general elections. “The endemic and systemic corruption that the corporation is known for encouraged the racketeering in the defunct subsidy administration which ended up lining the pockets of major marketers with petro-dollars. He said this further reduced resources available for the usage of the common people,” he said. Abbas explained that most Nigerians believed that the forces behind the scarcity and unwarranted increase in the price of PMS were working against the interest of President Bola Tinubu, saying such notion ended up boomeranging. “The dark forces took the fight to another dimension by persuading the then President-elect to announce the removal of the subsidy without carrying out a proper situation analysis. “This, we believe was done to punish poor Nigerians who willingly voted for President Tinubu. Indeed, Nigerians are serving the artificial punishment which is reminiscent of the hard training our armed forces undergo. “We are afraid that should the tribunal and Supreme Court Justices order for a rerun election today, we doubt if the president can survive it,” he said. The Publicity Secretary perceived the termination of the subsidy regime, where the NNPCL was planning to re-award the Pipeline Surveillance Contract to the Tompolo-owned Tantita Security Company. According to him, it was a deliberate way of passing a vote of no confidence on the Armed Forces, who are working tirelessly to ensure that Nigerians are able to sleep with their two eyes closed. Abbas, therefore, noted that on that premise, the group was mobilising its members to converge at the NNPCL Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, “to commence mass civil action that will force the NNPCL supreme ruler to either step aside or be sacked by President Tinubu.” “We understand that things are very tough for our compatriots. They either come out to protest their way to freedom or stay home to acquire stomach ulcer which might lead to their ultimate end,” he said. He called on security agencies to mobilise their men to give the group the necessary protection, noting that “we will only exercise our inalienable rights to peaceful protest.

Northern group cautions Tinubu against appointing ex-govs as ministers

The Voice of Northern Youths Patriots (VNYP) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against appointing some former governors from the North West region as his cabinet members. The Kano State branch of the group gave the advice on Monday in Kano during a news conference. Alhaji Mustapha Mai-Royal, Leader of the group, said appointing the ex-governors as ministers would make the president eat his words. He specifically listed three former governors Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State. Mai-Royal said the trio are under the EFCC investigation for alleged corruption cases to the tune of billions of Naira. The group therefore called on Tinubu not to go back on the promise to give the country the best leadership it needed by appointing the best hands to manage the nation’s resources for optimal performance. They also cautioned that they would not want a situation where the North would in future disregard whatever the president would tell them by making the wrong appointments. “We are hereby calling on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, not to appoint some three former governors from the North West region as ministers because of various cases of (alleged) corruption against them. “Mr. President, you have stated that you would run an all-inclusive government for the unification and betterment of the country, we want to see that from the people you are going to appoint from our region. “These former governors from the North West have not displayed such qualities as to deserve being appointed in your government because they are only after their personal aggrandizement,” the youth leader stated. “We have seen the poor performance of some of these governors in the fight against insecurity in their states and the roles they have played. “These weaknesses are enough for Mr. President to consider and not appoint them into his cabinet,” Mai-Royal explained.