Chuks Okocha in Abuja
A former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has once again called on the federal government to take a decisive step towards protecting the country from the ravaging COVID-19.
He also called for the reduction in the price of petrol as the landing cost has tremendously reduced.
“As the landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, has reduced significantly, it is strongly recommended that the government should not absorb the savings, but should pass it on to the Nigerian people by way of reducing the pump price of PMS to reflect the current prevailing market costs”.
Atiku in a statement he signed yesterday said that the COVID-19 is raging in the world and not just ravaging human beings, but is also affecting economies.
According to him, “Nigeria is not an island onto itself, and we must take measures to protect the economic well- being of our nation and people.
“Every action that can be taken to ease the cost of doing business in Nigeria and reduce the cost of living, while promoting consumer confidence must be implemented”, he said. .
The former vice president said that all hands must be on deck in a multi partisan manner to ensure that Nigeria does not return to economic recession, adding that this is possible with decisive leadership and disciplined management.
He said. “As such, I recommend that policies like the Stamp Duty on all types of accounts be temporarily suspended, until such a time as the nation’s economy has turned the tide in the fight against this virulent scourge”.
“Definitely, this scourge will affect their production and profitability. However, if they know that the government is behind them and will do all to support them, they are less likely to disengage workers.
The former vice president said that these are extraordinary times, adding that Nigeria as a nation must take extraordinary measures to protect the entire nation.
“Nigeria is our collective home, as such, we must suppress every partisan disagreement and think and work patriotically to ensure our national survival in the midst of global uncertainty”.
