The Environmental Defenders Network, EDEN, has noted that from the politics playing out over the pump price of fuel, the Federal Government is not ready to listen to Nigerians.

Therefore, the right group stated, “We join all well-meaning lovers of this country to demand an immediate reversal of the pump price of fuel to the pre-inauguration price.

“Anything short of this smacks of insensitivity to the genuine wishes of Nigerians to live and earn a decent income. It is also recipe for more protests across the country.”

EDEN’s position was contained in a communique released after its board of trustees’ four-day retreat (Tuesday 2 – Friday 6) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

Members of the Board examined contentious issues such as the recent #EndBadGovernance Protests, the debilitating fuel price increases that have affected all facet of life, climate impacts in Nigeria, developments in the solid minerals sector and Nigeria’s response to the perennial flooding incidents, among others.

EDEN held that “We have watched with trepidation the drama surrounding the increase in the pump price of fuel which has unleashed a chain of consequences on innocent and poor Nigerians and businesses.

“Our dismay is aggravated when we recall that the resolution of the minimum wage imbroglio between the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the federal government was hinged on an agreement that the minimum wage will remain at N70,000 for the average worker as the basis of not increasing the pump price of fuel by the government.

“The Presidency did not refute reports that President Bola Tinubu had told the NLC representatives that the N250,000 minimum wage they were asking for will only be paid to workers if the pump price is increased.

“So we find it as a betrayal that while Government is yet to commence the payment of the agreed N70,000 minimum wage, the NNPC has hastily effected another fuel price hike.

“Nigerians are now buying fuel for between N1,000 and N1,500, a development which has unleashed another chain of increases of basic services such as transportation cost and food prices across board.

“The government has, through this action, showed that it is not ready to listen to Nigerians. Because of this, we join all well-meaning lovers of this country to demand an immediate reversal of the pump price of fuel to the pre-inauguration price.

“Anything short of this smacks of insensitivity to the genuine wishes of Nigerians to live and earn a decent income. It is also recipe for more protests across the country.”

Ogoni, flooding

The communique, signed Chima Williams, Chair of the Board, and Philip Jakpor, Secretary of the Board, also noted that the Ogoni clean-up exercise recommended by the United Nations Environmental Programme, UNEP, continues to stall due to administrative bureaucracy.

On perennial flood disaster, EDEN said: “While we commend the pro-activeness of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NIMET, for its early warning systems and prediction of weather conditions, we are dismayed at federal and state level interventions that have been anything but pre-emptory in addressing perennial flooding.

“The inundation of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital after the collapse of the Alau Dam shows how unserious the response agencies are in preventing avoidable fallouts of floods.

“We commiserate with the people and call on the state emergency management agency to work collaboratively with the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, in addressing the challenges occasioned by the incident.

“It is pertinent to note also that while the Federal Government has kept sealed lips on the status of the Dasin Hausa Dam, which is conceived to address flooding caused by the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, the state governments, despite huge ecological funds they collect every year, put at about N40 billion, continue to fail Nigerians at their hour of need when the heavens open up.”

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