Fuel price hike: NANS declares nationwide protests

By Our Correspondent
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has announced plans for a protest that will see the total shutdown of all major cities across Nigeria, starting on September 15, 2024.
The protest is in response to the recent fuel price hike and what the students describe as the incompetence of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Director General, Mele Kyari.
This announcement was made on Tuesday in a statement signed by NANS National Senate President, Comrade Henry Okunomo, which a copy was made available to newsmen.
The student body demanded an immediate reversal of the fuel price increase and the removal of Kyari from his position.
“We demand an immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and a more compassionate approach to governance,” Okunomo said.
“We urge all Nigerian students, civil society organizations, and the masses to join us in this peaceful demonstration as we demand an immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and a more compassionate approach to governance.”
“We shall not be silenced, and we shall not be intimidated. We shall rise in unison to demand a better deal for Nigerian students and the masses.”
He further added that “This latest development is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back, as it has become patently clear that the NNPC, under the leadership of its Director-General, Mele Kyari, has failed woefully in its primary responsibility of ensuring a stable and affordable fuel supply.”
Since his appointment, Mr. Kyari has presided over a regime of unrelenting fuel price increases, with each hike further exacerbating the suffering of the masses.
This, Okunomo argued, is a clear indication of Kyari’s “gross incompetence and inability to deliver on his mandate.”
“The NNPC, under his watch, has become a behemoth of inefficiency, perpetuating a cycle of hardship and despair for the Nigerian people,” he added.
“His continued stay in office is an affront to the sensibilities of the Nigerian people and a stark reminder of the government’s insensitivity to their plight,” the statement concluded.