Fuel Price Hike: Nigerian students threaten to embark on strike September 15

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has fixed September 15, 2024, to embark on a nationwide strike over the new hike of the petrol pump price by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

NANS made the declaration in a statement by its national senate president, Henry Okunomo, on Tuesday, in reaction to the announcement of the hike from ₦617 per litre to ₦897 per litre effective 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 association vowed it “shall not be silenced, and we shall not be intimidated. We shall rise in unison to demand a better deal for Nigerian students and the masses.”

Stating that the NNPCL, under the leadership of Mele Kyari, has woefully failed in its duty of ensuring a stable and affordable fuel supply, NANS noted that the latest fuel price hike “is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back” and proves “gross incompetence and inability to deliver on his mandate.”

The students stated that the NNPC “has become a behemoth of inefficiency, perpetuating a cycle of hardship and despair for the Nigerian people.”

NANS, therefore, demanded the removal of Mr Kyari as the director-general of the NNPCL.

It said 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.”