Ex-senator, clerics urge govt to reverse fuel price

President, Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji

The President, Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji has called on President Bola Tinubu to reduce fuel prices that have made life difficult, saying Nigerians have already experienced the painful part of life.

The Akanji made the appeal at the 64th Baptist Ministers Conference, which was held in Kaduna with a theme, “The Necessity Of Sound Doctrines In Times Like This.”

According to him, if the price of fuel can come down a little, farm products, house rent, and school fees will reduce, and that will ameliorate the hardship that Nigerians are currently experiencing, “ he said.

The NBC President lamented that as a proprietor of a university, buying diesel every day has been most challenging, stressing that universities can hardly function under this kind of situation.

“Things are too expensive, and we need the government’s intervention. If the government can reduce fuel prices, that will help the masses,” he insisted.

Akanji noted further that the country was facing a serious economic downturn and to forge ahead as a nation, Nigerians must make some sacrifices.

“The problem Nigerians have is the suddenness of the sacrifice that has to be made. Things dropped too sharply, and Nigerians were crying out. We’re not saying that the government has been doing nothing, but we’re appealing to the government to program its various steps that will be taken so that it won’t be too heavy on its citizens,” he stated.

On his part, Senator Shehu concurred that there was no doubt that Nigerians are suffering, and it is difficult for them to feed their families, provide medical care, and educate even their families.

However, he observed that the current situation of events in the country was not just a product of economic reform but a fallout of the things Nigerians refused to do in the past.

According to him, all nations that are going through the transformation process must undergo a period of pain and sacrifices, but these sacrifices must not be from the poor people alone. Those in positions of power must also be seen to be making sacrifices.

“We’re a nation of 224 million people, the biggest black nation in the whole world, and in reality, we can not shy away from the serious economic challenges that the masses are facing.

“The President, the Ministers, the Governors, the Senators, and people within the position of authority and power must make sacrifices, that’s how we can make this nation move forward,” Sani maintained.

While commenting on governance in Kaduna State, the senator noted that the wrongs that were done from 2015 to 2019 were now being given the necessary attention by the current administration of Governor Uba Sani.

He said the Baptist Ministers Conference offers the citizens the opportunity to make their contributions toward the peace, unity, and collective progress of the country.

Also, at the event, a former CAN Chairman, Kaduna State, Rev. Joseph Hayab, while highlighting what in his estimation is a paradigm shift from what the country used to experience in the fight against terrorism, added that while the desired peace has yet to be achieved as long as the nation still experiences pockets of kidnapping, terrorism, wanton killings and all of such, yet, he acknowledged the drastic reduction in such dastardly acts across the country.

The cleric also lamented the high level of poverty ravaging families in country and bemoaned the fact that in the face of the struggle to make ends meet, the already impoverished Nigerians are still made to struggle to pay huge amounts of ransom for the release of their loved ones who have been kidnapped.

“The other time the President in his speech, said 300 terrorists have been killed. That shows that these terrorists are more than what we’re thinking, because if we have dislodged 300 and we are still having them in their number that means if you look at the setting of the military squad that means they’re still many out there.

“So a lot needs to be done to ensure every terrorist, every person that’s causing Nigerians pain and is denying other citizens sleep and even causing them sorrow by losing their loved ones, should not be spared,” Hayab stated.

Arewa PUNCH reports that the Baptist Ministers Conference is an annual event that brings all clerics for a refresher course training and retraining on sound Christian doctrines and values.