The removal of fuel subsidy is a hard sell for the Federal Government. So it was punches and defences as representatives made their points at the Town Hall Meeting on Petroleum Subsidy Removal, organised by the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN, which sought to find out: “Whose Interest Does it (removal) Serve, as captured by Kunle Kalejaiye. Excerpts:

Two civil right groups, the United Action for Democracy (UAD), North Central Zone and Christian Foundation for Social Justice and Equity say they would mobilize citizens in the zone to embark on mass protests against the removal of oil subsidy as from Monday. The groups in a joint statement on Wednesday signed by Messrs Joseph Sangosanya and Jide Afolabi for the Christian foundation and UAD respectively, described the increase in the price of petrol as inhuman considering the hardship Nigerians were already going through.

…The matter is that simple; the government of Nigeria, faced with stiff opposition to its planned withdrawal of the only subsidy it grants the people, resorts to cheap blackmail to coerce their will.

CHAIRMAN, House Committee on Rural Development in the House of Representatives, Chief Omo Christopher Isu, yesterday dismissed insinuations that the proposed review of the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly was a result of ulterior motives by the Federal Government.

ELECTRICITY workers in the country have praised the courage of the Senate over the adoption of its committee report on the probe of the privatisation programme in the country, and urged that the report be implemented within the next three months.