IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO THE FLOOD VICTIMS!!
NIGERIANS, ARISE TO RESIST THE POLICIES OF PRIVATISATION, DEREGULATION
& FOOD CRISIS NOW!!!
PRESS STATEMENT
1.
The Joint Action Front (JAF) wishes to alert Nigerians of
the surreptitious plot by the Federal Government and the oil marketers to impose
a new price regime for petroleum products, thereby artificially inducing and
encouraging scarcity of petroleum products (petrol, kerosene and diesel) and
its attendant hike in prices across the country.
2.
JAF notes that filling stations across the country,
including NNPC branded outlets sell petrol at N110 to N140 per litre instead of
the official price of N97, while kerosene is sold at N120 – N150 a litre
instead of N50.
3.
JAF does not find credible the
recent statement credited to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that
it will SHUT down any filling station selling above the official prices, which
is deceptive and aimed at disarming Nigerians from protesting against the
current prevalence of fuel scarcity and hike in prices. As at date all the
filling stations sell above the official prices and yet none has been shut.
4.
Nigerians should be reminded that the January 3rd
– 16th 2012 MASS ACTION, in which JAF played a leading role,
compelled the Federal Government to retreat to the new so-called 40% subsidized
price of N97 for petrol as against its January 1st 2012 wicked hike
in the price of petrol from N65 – N141.
5.
JAF is in
the process of mobilising Nigerians and groups across the country towards
resisting the current scarcity in fuel products and hike in prices. JAF
therefore urges NIGERIANS to prepare to join the struggle anywhere they are
when such action is declared.
6.
We urge Nigerians to make PUBLIC
(through www.jointactionfront.blogspot.com and other
social media) names and locations of all FILLING
STATIONS selling fuels above the current official prices (petrol @ N97 a litre,
kerosene @ N50 a litre and diesel @ N70 a litre).
7.
Also, JAF strongly condemns the Federal
Government for its insensitivity and lack of emergency measures to address the
plights of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians displaced recently by the River
Niger floods, which has caused agonies to not only the people in Kogi State but
to those in neighbouring states and other Nigerians. The flood disaster has
equally caused hike in the prices of food, unavailability of potable water to
residents, chaotic traffic situations and untold sufferings to the North-South
travelers who were stranded for days.
8.
This is one more instance that has
exposed the present ruling class of looters and its preferred wicked policies
of greed and profits in the guise of Privatisation and Deregulation agenda
(private interests) which have been responsible for neglect and near total
collapse of infrastructure, thereby condemning Nigerians to for the untold
hardship and unnecessary sufferings.
9. SYSTEM CHANGE
REMAINS OUR GOAL!
· JAF
has consistently commends to Nigerians that we need a STRUGGLE to end the rule of the CLASS OF LOOTERS. For the avoidance of doubt, Privatisation
and Deregulation are in Nigeria, avenues for virtual stealing of the people’s
property and looting. We have seen this in the banking, aviation and the
petroleum sector. The same greed and thievery will rule the privatization of
the electricity sector. Therefore, all organizations of the people must join
the resistance to exploiters and their rule.
· We
STAND by SYSTEM CHANGE, which means:
“Nigeria is rich. The wealth
belongs to the people. Most Nigerians are hungry, have no jobs, no education,
no healthcare, no potable water, no electricity supply and no affordable
transportation. Most cannot feed their families or educate their children.
Those who are lucky to have jobs are not much different. They also cannot
afford a decent living for their families. On the other hand, there is a very
tiny group of Nigerians who have cornered the wealth that belong to the working
people and the poor, who are in the majority. They loot the treasury and use
their stolen wealth to sustain themselves in power through their political
parties. They use their power to get richer and richer when the poor get poorer
and poorer. This is the system of exploitation and oppression. It is the system
that brings out the army and the police to kill poor people when they protest
against oppression and exploitation.
We want to change that system and
replace it with a system where the working people and the millions of people
who are sufferings under the system of exploitation will win power and ensure
that the wealth of Nigeria is used to ensure a good life for the majority of
the people who are now exploited and oppressed. System change is not replacing
one exploiter’s government by another exploiter’s government. It is replacing
an exploiter’s government by a people’s government to reorganise Nigeria and
put an end to exploitation and oppression”.
DR. DIPO
FASHINA COMRADE
ABIODUN AREMU
JAF
Chairperson
JAF Secretary
