Presidential Aide Urges Nigerian Youth To Understand The Advantages of Fuel Price Deregulation

PRESS STATEMENT BY SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT ON YOUTH AND STUDENTS' AFFAIRS ON THE DEREGULATION OF THE PRICE OF PETROLEUM PUMP PRODUCTS BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
MAY 16, 2016.

The Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Students' Affairs, Hon. Nasir Adhama has on Monday called on the Nigerian youth to search for authentic information on the reasons for the increase in petrol price and desist from taking any action that would jeopardize efforts to provide the much needed infrastructural development in infrastructure and numerous fruitful outcomes of the deregulation policy the government embark on, just as the Labour and other civil society organisations are bent on going on strike on Wednesday.

Following the announcement last week by the Federal Government that the pump price of petrol has been increased from N87 to N145 due to deregulation of the oil sector that has now given marketers the liberty to source foreign exchange from other sources to import fuel and sell to consumer at the prevailing market price, there have been moves by Labour, students and other interest groups to stage a nationwide protests this coming Wednesday to compel government to revert to the old price. 

According to the press statement received by NUJ Europe which was signed by the Technical Assistant on Media, Mr Ibrahim Dan-Halilu of Office of the Special Assistant to President on Youths and Students Affairs, the deregulation was implemented to relieve government of the huge burden of subsidising foreign exchange for marketers importing fuel into the country as the cost of doing so is depleting the nation’s foreign reserve and denying Nigerians the much needed development in infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools and other services.

The statement credited to Special Assistant on Youth and Students' Affairs, Mr Nasir Adhama, stated that, “the deregulation is for the common good of all Nigerians, and specially youth and students who have the largest number of unemployed in the country".

The presidential aide noted that "the deregulation will free up funds for job creation and other productive activities that will transform the lives of the people of this country.”

"With the current deregulation, government is assuring Nigerians of recovering over 200,000 jobs from the 400,000 losses that attended the regulation policy in the last ten years.  Government will not stand and watch when the nation’s foreign exchange is depleted to the advantage of a few.  It’s therefore a hard decision and difficult choice to be made, but government is determined to solve the problem of the oil sector once for all.
Much as we all know that the decision was taken for good, we are not oblivious of the fact that some resistance would be mounted against it by even the most committed nationalists because of the temporary hardships it might create for our teeming citizens.  However, we are optimistic that the final outcome would be something to make us all smile."

"Change is never easy!

The release further re-assured Nigerian youths and urged them to "look forward to a bright and prosperous future in which they would be key-players and game-changers as the current administration is desirous of expanding the opportunities and carrying the youth along in all key decisions affecting their lives."

“I urge all Nigerian youth and students, in particular, to desist from any act that would lead to breakdown of law and order in the name of protest against this lofty decision of the federal government.

" I also want to use this medium to appeal to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other stakeholders to reconsider their decision to embark on a strike", Adhama concluded.