Nigerian students protest in Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo over electricity tariff, fuel hike

Nigerian tertiary students in Osun, Oyo and Ondo States are currently protesting the recent hike in electricity tariff and petrol price in the country.

The protest is organised by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone D.

The students gathered in their hundreds at the different states capital.

In Osogbo, hundreds of protesters converged at Freedom Park, in the Osun State capital.

The students came out with placards showing different inscriptions condemning the hike.

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, the students association’s spokesperson, Kazeem Israel, said the increment on the price of petrol and in electricity tariff is anti-people.

“No doubt, this government has worsened all the crises it inherited from the last administration. In fact, the Buhari government is a clear example that we the students must go back to our revolutionary days as we cannot continue to lament,” he said.

“Today, education underfunding has become a norm, healthcare under the pandemic is undergoing cuts officially from government at all levels while the rich run to private hospitals and dash abroad through chartered flights leaving the plebeains to self-medicate.”

Mr Israel said said President Buhari should resign if he cannot reverse petrol price to N97 and stop the deregulation of the oil sector.

READ ALSO: Electricity Tariff: Only customers with regular electricity will pay more — Lai Mohammed

He should “stop the devaluation of the naira now, increase budgetary allocation to education to 35%, return to the old stamp duty price, give 500% increment to healthcare budget to reflect the pandemic era, pay N100,000 Cost of Study Allowance (COSA) to all students and stop the Anti-Social Media Bill Now.”

Speaking further at the protest ground, he told our correspondent that no dialogue with the government would be accommodated.

Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) across the country this month implemented a new electricity tariff regime.

The is as a result of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) directive that DisCos to maintain a N4 tariff for all customers consuming less than 50kWh of energy per month.

The government has also increased the price of petrol with a litre now sold at N162.

Nigerians on social media have called on various opposition leaders to stage protest again the development.

Mr Buhari on Monday reiterated that there was no going back on subsidy removal.