JAF Urges Nigerians To Prepare For Mass Protest, As New Crisis Looms.

Joint Action Front, (JAF) a pro-labour and rights advocacy movement has asked Nigerians to prepare for a mass protest over the scarcity and hike in prices of fuel in the country, saying it is currently mobilising individuals and groups towards resisting the development.

In a statement issued today, the Chairman and secretary of JAF, Dr. Dipo Fashina and Comrade Biodun Aremu, accused the Federal Government of masterminding a hike in the prices of fuel products through an artificially induced scarcity.

Condemning this development, JAF said the forthcoming nationwide demonstration would be similar to the Occupy Nigeria rally put up collectively by civil society organizations in January over same subject of fuel price increase.

JAF, which was part of the organization of the highly-successful rallies in Lagos, restated its commitment to opposing the corrupt lifestyles of Nigeria’s rulers.

The group observed that even NNPC fuel stations are currently selling gasoline for between N110 to N140 per litre as against N97 official prices.

It further alleged that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is utterly insincere with the claim that it would shut down any filling station selling above the official prices, pointing out that that claim was aimed at disarming Nigerians from protesting against the prevalence of fuel scarcity and its accompanied hike in price.

“As at [today] all the filling stations sell above the official prices and yet none has been shut,” the statement said, urging all Nigerians to prepare to join the struggle wherever they may be when such action is declared.”

They also enjoined members of the public to compile the names and locations of all filling stations selling fuel products above the official prices of N97 a litre of fuel, N50 a litre of Kerosene and N70 a litre of diesel, and to make that information public through www.jointactionfront.blogspot.com and social media.

The rights advocacy group also strongly condemned the weak effort and poor emergency measures of the Federal Government in addressing the displacement of multitudes through recent the flooding in Kogi State.

It asserted that the disaster has affected the inhabitants and the neighboring communities alike through a sharp increase in the cost of food items and potable water. The poorly combated flooding has resulted in chaotic traffic situations and untold sufferings to the North-South travelers who have been stranded for days, the group said.

JAF suggested that these situations have only exposed a wicked and selfish ruling class, and stressed that the proposed privatization and deregulation policies are to the detriment of the public and in the interest of the few.

“This is one more instance that has exposed the present ruling class of looters and its preferred wicked policies of greed and profits in the guise of Privatisation and Deregulation agenda (private interests) which have been responsible for neglect and near total collapse of infrastructure, thereby condemning Nigerians to for the untold hardship and unnecessary sufferings.”

The full text of the statement:

Joint Action Front (JAF)
10, Afolabi Lesi Street, Anthony-Ilupeju, Lagos
08035068524, 08033347962, E-mail:jnt_action@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, October 2nd 2012
PRESS STATEMENT
FG SHOULD RESTORE ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF FUEL @ N97 OR FACE MASS ACTION!
IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO THE FLOOD VICTIMS!!
NIGERIANS, ARISE TO RESIST THE POLICIES OF PRIVATISATION, DEREGULATION
& FOOD CRISIS NOW!!!
1.    The Joint Action Front (JAF) wishes to alert Nigerians of the
surreptitious plot by the Federal Government and the oil marketers to
impose a new price regime for petroleum products, thereby artificially
inducing and encouraging scarcity of petroleum products (petrol,
kerosene and diesel) and its attendant hike in prices across the
country.
2.    JAF notes that filling stations across the country, including
NNPC branded outlets sell petrol at N110 to N140 per litre instead of
the official price of N97, while kerosene is sold at N120 – N150 a
litre instead of N50.
3.    JAF does not find credible the recent statement credited to the
Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that it will SHUT down any
filling station selling above the official prices, which is deceptive
and aimed at disarming Nigerians from protesting against the current
prevalence of fuel scarcity and hike in prices. As at date all the
filling stations sell above the official prices and yet none has been
shut.
4.    Nigerians should be reminded that the January 3rd – 16th 2012
MASS ACTION, in which JAF played a leading role, compelled the Federal
Government to retreat to the new so-called 40% subsidized price of N97
for petrol as against its January 1st 2012 wicked hike in the price of
petrol from N65 – N141.
5.   JAF is in the process of mobilising Nigerians and groups across
the country towards resisting the current scarcity in fuel products
and hike in prices. JAF therefore urges NIGERIANS to prepare to join
the struggle anywhere they are when such action is declared.
6.    We urge Nigerians to make PUBLIC (through
www.jointactionfront.blogspot.com and other social media) names and
locations of all FILLING STATIONS selling fuels above the current
official prices (petrol @ N97 a litre, kerosene @ N50 a litre and
diesel @ N70 a litre).
7.    Also, JAF strongly condemns the Federal Government for its
insensitivity and lack of emergency measures to address the plights of
hundreds of thousands of Nigerians displaced recently by the River
Niger floods, which has caused agonies to not only the people in Kogi
State but to those in neighbouring states and other Nigerians. The
flood disaster has equally caused hike in the prices of food,
unavailability of potable water to residents, chaotic traffic
situations and untold sufferings to the North-South travelers who were
stranded for days.
8.    This is one more instance that has exposed the present ruling
class of looters and its preferred wicked policies of greed and
profits in the guise of Privatisation and Deregulation agenda (private
interests) which have been responsible for neglect and near total
collapse of infrastructure, thereby condemning Nigerians to for the
untold hardship and unnecessary sufferings.
9.   SYSTEM CHANGE REMAINS OUR GOAL!
•         JAF has consistently commends to Nigerians that we need a
STRUGGLE to end the rule of the CLASS OF LOOTERS. For the avoidance of
doubt, Privatisation and Deregulation are in Nigeria, avenues for
virtual stealing of the people’s property and looting. We have seen
this in the banking, aviation and the petroleum sector. The same greed
and thievery will rule the privatization of the electricity sector.
Therefore, all organizations of the people must join the resistance to
exploiters and their rule.
•         We STAND by SYSTEM CHANGE, which means:
“Nigeria is rich. The wealth belongs to the people. Most Nigerians are
hungry, have no jobs, no education, no healthcare, no potable water,
no electricity supply and no affordable transportation. Most cannot
feed their families or educate their children. Those who are lucky to
have jobs are not much different. They also cannot afford a decent
living for their families. On the other hand, there is a very tiny
group of Nigerians who have cornered the wealth that belong to the
working people and the poor, who are in the majority. They loot the
treasury and use their stolen wealth to sustain themselves in power
through their political parties. They use their power to get richer
and richer when the poor get poorer and poorer. This is the system of
exploitation and oppression. It is the system that brings out the army
and the police to kill poor people when they protest against
oppression and exploitation.
We want to change that system and replace it with a system where the
working people and the millions of people who are sufferings under the
system of exploitation will win power and ensure that the wealth of
Nigeria is used to ensure a good life for the majority of the people
who are now exploited and oppressed. System change is not replacing
one exploiter’s government by another exploiter’s government. It is
replacing an exploiter’s government by a people’s government to
reorganise Nigeria and put an end to exploitation and oppression”.