Afenifere Faults FG’s Planned Extradition of Igboho, Kicks against Fuel Price Hike

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

A pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, said the intensified effort of the federal government to extradite Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise known as Sunday Igboho from Benin Republic, wss a clear indication that it was not totally committed to genuinely tackling the challenges thrown up by those agitating for self-determination in the country.

The group also described the plan to increase prices of fuel as “another indication of how insensitive the present administration is as far as the welfare of Nigerians is concerned”.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere said were government sincere with its recent declaration of wanting to settle the agitators’ issues politically, it would not be treading the path of extradition.

Afenifere maintained that rather than insist on extradition, the federal government should obey the verdict given by a High Court in Ibadan on September 17, 2021, by paying the sum of N20.5 billion as ordered instead of going on an appeal.

It contended that if the federal government genuinely wanted to solve the problems thrown up by self-determination agitations, “it should obey the judgements already given in favour of the agitators and convene meetings with leaders of the ethnic nationalities particularly those from the South East and South West, where Nnamdi Kanu and Igboho came from.”

Afenifere stated further that solicitors for the agitators and interested stakeholders should be present at the meetings, adding that such meetings should be convened without delay.

On the plan to get a litre of motor fuel to sell for between N320 and N350 in 2022, the group said the plan if carried out might plunge the country into an avoidable social, economic and industrial crisis.

According to him, the resultant effect might snowball into a very serious logjam as the ignited labour crises might adversely affect the political trajectory of the country, and therefore called on the government to rescind its decision on the planned price increase.

Afenifere said Nigerians have reasons to no longer trust the government on the tokens it promised to provide as palliatives to cushion the effect of the price increase, hinging the mistrust on similar promises made in the past but not kept.

“Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, talked about the reactivation of the four petroleum refineries along with the coming on stream of the ones being built by private investors. Why is government unwilling to wait for the refineries to start full production before removing the phantom fuel subsidy?

“Fuel subsidy mantra has been on for a long time. It has been proven to be an avenue to siphon public fund. But then, government should stop using it as an excuse to inflict pains on the people. It should fix the refineries, ensure that they are in full swing production before talking about fuel price of any sort,” the statement stated.