ANLCA condemns fuel, electricity hike by govt
… Regrets monocultural economy
By Ray Ugochukwu
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has condemned the recent increase in petroleum pump price and electricity consumption by the Federal Government.
In a chat at the weekend with Seabreeze News, the National President of the body, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike, described the action as insensitive to the plight of the masses, though sympathised with the authorities for dwindling revenue.
Nwabunike, who spoke from his Amuwo-Odofin office in Lagos, observed that government had been going through low revenue earning occasioned by low oil prices and heavy dependence on single product for survival.
He regretted that the increases were coming during the global pandemic when nations were offering palliatives to their people while the contrary was the case in Nigeria. The ANLCA boss lamented that the development would have a lot of negative effects on the people, economy and the country.
According to the Ozubulu, Anambra State, born business man, “if the item involved had been a non-essential community, I wouldn’t have worried but this has to do with petroleum product like PMS (premium motor spirit), which is needed for many things”.
The effect, he noted, would be quite devastating if nothing was done about it.
Nwabunike remarked that rather than punishing the people for the general downtown in the economy, he had expected government to have readdressed the cumbersome cost of governance. He regretted that for over five years those on authorities failed to put in place sustaining economic structures that could have helped to cushion the effects of the global pandemic.
He made it clear that “this is not the best time to increase pump price three times in a so short a period.
He said he had expected government to have encouraged the local production of petroleum products, increase level of local exportation of goods and with structures put in place that would support individuals to grow their businesses.
Nwabunike expressed worries that the the government had stayed for a good intime without creating wealth that could galvanize the economy.
On the alleged court ruling that purportedly sacked the ANLCA executive council, he said there was no cause for alarm, adding that their lawyers were addressing the matter adequately. He however, made it clear that the issue was dead on arrival as the litigants had no locus standing to institute the action having not being financial members for years.
