By Olasunkanmi Akoni

LAGOS -Young Journalists Forum, YJF, has condemned plan by Federal Government to remove fuel subsidy next year, saying the action by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led government “is criminal and a deliberate action to exacerbate the suffering of the Nigerian people.”

The forum’s President, Mr. Ayodele Samuel, in a statement, yesterday, in Lagos, challenged President Goodluck Jonathan on the rationale behind the plan, wondering why the citizens cannot enjoy subsidy, which is the only benefit they derive from the government since they provide for themselves other basic necessities such as water, education, electricity, health, clothing, food and shelter among others.

YJF noted that the capitalistic tendency of the President was becoming unbearable, stressing that his excuse of cabal, the esoteric clique he had always blamed for the hindrance to the possibility of building a local refinery, was nauseating.

The forum said: “The Federal Government should be bold enough to name members of the so-called cabals, who are frustrating the building of new refineries. It is an insult on Nigerians for the leadership of this country to be powerless about those who are benefiting from the subsidy loot.”

It decried the silence of the opposition governors of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and others, who were also part of the decision of Governors Forum to give consent to subsidy removal, saying: “This is unacceptable and a betrayal of the essence of the opposition that they claim to be representing.”

“One is even surprised that the ACN governors, who tacitly depict a pseudo opposition in Nigeria, are also part of the subsidy removal debacle. If not, we expect the governors to voice out the position of the party, if they are not consenting to PDP’s subsidy perfidy.”