Fayose mocks Fuel price reduction, says it’s proof of Buhari's naivety, deceit

·         Only prayers can save Nigeria now, he declares

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has dismissed the planned price reduction of pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N87 to N85 by the Federal Government, saying that It is economic nonsense to be deregulating and regulating at the same time.

Governor Fayose

President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had announced the removal of petroleum subsidy alongside the reduction in the price of the products, with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), selling at N85 instead of N87, in a price modulation module expected to solve the perennial problem in Nigeria’s prime economic sector.
But Fayose sniggered at the new regime, expected to take effect from January 1, 2016, saying it was not only naïve and economically impossible, but a gimmick aimed at deceiving Nigerians once again to hide the incompetence and directionless of the President and the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor in a statement by his spokesman, Lere Olayinka, while dismissing the entire concept said: “Even secondary school students of economics know that you cannot deregulate and regulate at the same time. It is only in a confused and clueless economy that government will plan to spend more when revenue has reduced by more than 50 percent.”
While maintaining that petrol would not sell below N100 per litre in 2016, he added: “Even now that the price is N87 and subsidy is yet to be removed, Nigerians are buying at between N130 and N300 per litre. What will now happen when they remove subsidy and allow market forces to determine the price?”
In all, the governor rubbished Buhari’s grasp at his job, saying: “The President needs God to give him the necessary wisdom to be able to find solution to the country’s economic and security problems.
“Only God’s intervention can save Nigeria from the present economic and security problems as it is glaring that the man running the affairs of the country at the federal level does not have any answer to the problems. Even the Holy Bible said in James 1:5 that if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God and as it is, Nigerians must assist the President in asking for wisdom and understanding to tackle the country’s economic and security problems before Nigeria is further plunged into more woes with the federal government’s decision to borrow N2.2 Trillion, which translates to N6.066 billion per day to finance the 2016 Budget.”

On the claim by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed that Buhari had vanquished the Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, the governor challenged the Minister to relocate to the dreaded Sambisa Forest in Borno State or any of the locations in neighbouring Yobe State and move around without heavy military security to prove his point.
“Nigerians will only take the minister serious if he relocates to either Sambisa in Borno State or Yobe State and stay there till the end of March, next year without heavy military security. To show their level of confusion, two days after the Minister of Information declared that Boko Haram had been defeated, President Buhari said the government would persuade Boko Haram to abandon their fight. One then wonders how the same Boko Haram insurgents Lai Mohammed said were already defeated will have to be persuaded to abandon their fight,” Governor Fayose said.

“Interestingly, the same Boko Haram that Lai Mohammed said had been defeated reported attacked Kimba village in Gur ward of Biu Local Government Area of Borno State yesterday night.

“Therefore, the Information Minister must show Nigerians how peaceful Borno and Yobe States have become after the defeat of Boko Haram by relocating to either Sambisa, Maiduguri or Yobe.”