4 weeks ago
12
By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
Kaduna—Thousands of protesters, yesterday, unopen down parts of Kaduna city, arsenic they marched done large streets nether the banner of the Partners for National Economic Progress, PANEP, accusing a almighty lipid cabal of sabotaging Nigeria’s economical betterment by frustrating section lipid refining initiatives.
Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters displayed placards with inscriptions specified arsenic “Protect Local Refining,” “End substance import cartel,” and “Support Dangote Refinery.”
They converged astatine the Murtala Mohammed Square earlier marching done Alkali Road, Ali Akilu Road, Ahmadu Bello Way, and Muhammadu Buhari Way, drafting ample crowds of supporters on the way.
Leaders of the movement, Igwe Ude-Umanta and Dahiru Maishanu, said the Kaduna rally was portion of a nationwide run to exposure and defy “economic saboteurs” determined to support Nigeria babelike connected imported fuel.
“This conflict is against the cartel that destroyed our nationalist refineries, killed the textile industry, and present wants to strangle the Dangote Refinery,” Ude-Umanta declared to thunderous applause.
“We volition not fto them succeed. The days of holding Nigeria hostage are over.”
He said the movement, which began successful Abuja connected October 2, is portion of a “national liberation effort” to prevention the system from “heartless cartels feeding abdominous connected nationalist decay.”
Recalling Kaduna’s concern past, Ude-Umanta lamented however the once-thriving textile manufacture was ruined by overseas interests aided by section collaborators.
“Kaduna utilized to beryllium a textile hub earlier sabotage destroyed it,” helium said. “Now, they privation to bash the aforesaid to our petroleum assemblage by frustrating section refining. We volition defy them.”
The protest, themed “National Unity Against Sabotage: Reclaiming Our Petroleum Sector for the People,” called for urgent authorities enactment to support the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery from “systematic attacks” by lipid importation cartels.
PANEP urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who besides serves arsenic Minister of Petroleum Resources, to guarantee section refineries person crude lipid astatine the aforesaid terms sold to overseas buyers.
“That is cardinal to sustaining the refinery and boosting capitalist confidence,” the radical said.
The protesters demanded an extremity to reckless substance importation, urging the authorities to either halt it outright oregon enforce dense tariffs to support section industries.
“Countries that spot tariffs are not stupid—they are protecting their economies,” Ude-Umanta noted.
In his remarks, Maishanu said the cartel’s extremity was to support a monopoly implicit substance importation.
“How tin importers vie with producers?” helium asked. “They are frightened due to the fact that section refining volition exposure their fraud and extremity their power implicit pricing.”
He further accused the cartel of blocking the merchantability of locally refined Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (Jet A1) astatine cheaper rates, thereby keeping prices artificially high.
“They are punishing Nigerians to support their greed,” Maishanu said.
The protesters commended Dangote Refinery for its “early success” successful reducing prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (diesel), saying Nigerians are already “breathing caller air” from section refining.
“This question is astir economical salvation,” Maishanu said. “If we let them to termination Dangote Refinery, nary capitalist volition ever hazard bringing wealth into this state again. We indispensable support this refinery arsenic our own.”
The rally ended with a resounding telephone connected President Tinubu to “crush each force of Nigeria’s economical progress.”
The station Protesters unopen Kaduna, impeach lipid cabal of plotting to sabotage Dangote Refinery appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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