April 7, 2013 by ALLWELL OKPI

The  Save Nigeria Group and the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, have warned the Federal Government against carrying out its plan to remove subsidy on petroleum products, saying such action will elicit a national protest bigger than the January 2012, Occupy Nigeria protest.

The groups said Nigerians were angrier than they were in 2012, and would not tolerate even a one naira increase in fuel pump price.

The spokesman for the SNG, Yinka Odumakin, said Nigerians were set and waiting for the day the Federal Government would announce the removal of the subsidy as it did in January 2012.

He said, “We have heard President Goodluck Jonathan say he was going to remove the so-called subsidy. We know that what they call subsidy is nothing but the cost of corruption in the oil industry. The Lawan Farouk and other committee reports have shown clearly that what the Federal Government calls subsidy is the cost of corruption.

“We also heard Doyin Okupe (Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs) when he said it would not be done without consultation. Whichever way they do it, Nigerians are ready. The action of January 2012 was only suspended and the people are waiting for them if they try to increase their suffering.”

Odumakin stated that till date, nobody had been jailed over the N3tn stolen in the name of subsidy.

“Some presidential aides stood as sureties for those who had been charged to court in respect of the subsidy corruption when they were granted bail. If they think that Nigerians are fools, then they must be dreaming and the dream will be met with fire. Let them try it; the people are waiting for them.”

Similarly, the Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran, said civil society groups had held meetings on the issue, and would spearhead a protest against the government if it went ahead with the plan.

He said, “What is going to happen if they increase  the price of fuel is likely to be more monumental than what happened in January 2012. And this is because more people are angry now than then. Nigerians have seen what came out of the probes that were done after the protest and can now see the level of corruption in government and particularly in the petroleum industry.”

Adeniran said Nigerians had been more impoverished in the past one year and were angrier because of corruption among top government officials