A non-governmental organization called the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria, or MMWG, has urged the Federal Government to develop a perfect economic model that would include a prompt reduction in the price of fuel at the pump in order to lessen the impact of the current economic hardship that Nigerians are facing. The MMWG notes that the current suffering is directly related to the rise in fuel prices.
In order to stop unwanted elements in particular trades who are determined to cause suffering for the populace, the group also recommended the government to establish the National Commodities Board with strict legislation through the powers of the National Assembly, or NASS.
However, MMWG commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ordering the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to supply regular crude oil to the recently commissioned Dangote Refinery with payment made for the crude purchased in Naira instead of dollars, in a statement jointly signed by the National Secretary, Nasir Balogun, and National Coordinator, Ibrahim Abdullahi.
According to the group, “the cost price of fuel would reduce drastically and the suffering of the people would be minimized as prices of goods, food items, and services would come down again as long as our crude oil is refined in Nigeria in large quantities.”
Additionally, it urged Nigerian oil industry players with sufficient financial resources to start building more refineries in order to break any possible monopoly.
The group has also tasked Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, with finding Dr. Ganiyat Popoola, who was kidnapped in Kaduna more than eight months ago and hasn’t been released by the abductors until now.
The group claims that the female doctor was abducted along with her husband and nephew in December of last year. They further state that only the husband was set free following demands for several million Naira, which were purportedly paid, leaving the wife and her nephew in captivity.
“It is worrisome that Police authorities in Kaduna State and Force Headquarters, Abuja are not saying anything on this matter.
“The silence of the security agencies on this particular matter made the Association of Resident Doctors, ARD embark on placard-carrying protests in various hospitals all over the country a few days ago and has led to the strike action embarked upon by the members of the association since Monday,” it stated.
In order to secure Dr. Popoola’s release in Kaduna as soon as possible, MMWG ordered the IGP to utilize the same tactics that were used to secure the freedom of 20 medical students traveling to the South East.
Additionally, it made a plea to the Kaduna State Government to immediately free the kidnapped person and her nephew, pointing out that “the location of the abductors and their victims are easily traceable with the help of technology.”
