Nigeria: Afenifere Faults Government’s Plan to Extradite Seccesion Agitator Igboho, Kicks Against Fuel Price Increase

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Wednesday said the intensified effort of the Federal Government to extradite Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho) from Benin Republic, is a clear indication that it is not totally committed to genuinely tackle the challenges thrown up by those who are agitating for self determination in the country.

This is just as it described the plan to increase the prices of fuel as “another indication of how insensitive the present administration is as far as the welfare of Nigerians is concerned”.

The group in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, said were the government to be sincere with its recent declaration of wanting to settle the agitators’ issues politically, it would not be pursuing the path of extradition that it is bent on doing presently.

Ajayi maintained that rather than hell bent on extradition, the Federal Government should obey the verdict given by a High Court in Ibadan on September 17, 2021 by paying the ₦20.5 billion as ordered instead of going on an appeal.

He contended that if the Federal Government genuinely wanted to solve the problems thrown up by self determination agitations, “it should obey the judgements already given in favour of the agitators and convene meetings with leaders of the ethnic nationalities particularly those from the South East and South West where Nnamdi Kanu and Igboho came from.

He stated further that solicitors for the agitators and interested stakeholders should also be present at the meetings, adding that such meetings should be convened without delay.

On the plan by the Federal Government to get a litre of motor fuel to sell for between ₦320 and ₦350 in 2022, Ajayi said the plan if carried out may plunge the country into an avoidable social, economic and industrial crisis.

According to him, the resultant effect may snowball into a very serious logjam as the ignited labour crises may adversely affect the political trajectory of the country, calling on the government to rescind its decision on the planned price increase,

Ajayi said Nigerians have reasons to no longer trust the government on the tokens it promises to provide as palliatives to cushion the effect of the price increase, hinging the mistrust on similar promises made in the past but that were not kept accordingly.

He said, “Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, talked about the reactivation of the four petroleum refineries along with the coming on stream of the ones being built by private investors. Why is government unwilling to wait for the refineries to start full production before removing the phantom fuel subsidy?

“Fuel subsidy mantra has been on for a long time. It has been proven to be an avenue to siphon public fund. But then, government should stop using it as an excuse to inflict pains on the people. It should fix the refineries, ensure that they are in full swing production before talking about fuel price of any sort.”

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

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