The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has scheduled a nationwide strike for September 15, 2024, in response to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) new increase in petrol pump prices.
On Tuesday, NANS’ national senate president, Henry Okunomo, issued a statement in response to the announcement of a hike in fuel prices from N617 to N897 per litre beginning September 3.
Mr Okunomo expressed his dissatisfaction in the statement titled “Fuel Price Hike: A Threat to Our Future.” He explained that the mass action was imperative against the “egregious act.”
The students demanded “an immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and a more compassionate approach to governance.”
NANS urged all students, civil society organizations, and the masses “to join us in this peaceful demonstration as we demand an immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and a more compassionate approach to governance.”
The group declared, “We will not be silenced or intimidated. We will rise in unison to demand a better deal for Nigerian students and the masses.”
NANS stated that the NNPCL, led by Mele Kyari, has woefully failed in its duty to ensure a stable and affordable fuel supply and that the latest fuel price hike “is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back” and demonstrates “gross incompetence and inability to deliver on his mandate.”
According to the students, the NNPC “has become a behemoth of inefficiency, perpetuating a cycle of hardship and despair for the Nigerian people.”
As a result, NANS demanded that Mr Kyari be removed from his position as NNPCL director-general.
It stated Mr Kyari’s “continued stay in office is an affront to the sensibilities of the Nigerian people and a stark reminder of the government’s insensitivity to their plight.”