Atiku Abubakar, one-time vice president, has advised the
federal government to reduce the pump price of petrol to protect the economic
well being of Nigerians.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Atiku who was the
presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the
coronavirus outbreak is affecting economies in addition to human health.
“The coronavirus is raging in the world and not just
ravaging human beings, it is also affecting economies. Nigeria is not an island
onto itself, and we must take measures to protect the economic well being of
our nation and people,” he said.
“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.
“As such, I recommend that policies like the stamp duty on
all types of accounts be temporarily suspended, until such time as the nation’s
economy has turned the tide in the fight against this virulent scourge.
“Furthermore, as the landing cost of premium motor spirit,
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.”
According to the businessman, these policy measures will
ensure that Nigeria does slip into another recession after the 2016 economic
crisis.
Atiku also urged the government to liaise with large scale
industrialists and employers of labour not to disengage workers.
“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,” he
said.
Atiku described the current situation of the world economy
as extraordinary and as such, extraordinary measures must be taken to protect
the country.
The price of refined petroleum products has dropped because
of a drop in crude oil prices as a result of reduced demand and a price war
between Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com