Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Worldwide has expressed optimism that the recent petrol price hike will soon change for the better following the economic policies being implemented by President Bola Tinubu’s government.

The group said this in a statement on Sunday by the acting national leader, Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu. According to him, Mr Tinubu is not responsible for the fuel crisis.

Mr Okpalaezeukwu commended the ongoing reforms by Mr Tinubu’s government to restructure the petroleum industry, adding that a petrol price hike was one of the measures to change the sector for the country’s overall interest.

Mr Okpalaezeukwu, who blamed the fuel crisis on the bad governance and mismanagement by the previous governments, said this was part of the group’s resolution after its 52nd Extraordinary National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.

Mr Okpalaezeukwu said, “We have had a fruitful deliberation with the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and his team where we expressed our concerns.

“We emphasised the need for continuous and unrelenting reforms of the petroleum sector with policies that would benefit the ordinary people and improve the overall well-being of Nigeria.”

He added, “We acknowledge the challenges inherent in the removal of subsidy and the impact of infrastructural deficiencies in the sector, and we are very proud of the uncommon achievements recorded so far by President Tinubu-led administration ranging from increase in crude oil production.

”We therefore declare our solidarity and support to the genuine efforts and commitment of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other collaborating agencies and entities especially the NNPCL.

“We advocate for more effective and impactful community and youth engagement and development in ways that shall control restiveness and further address sabotage, vandalism and theft in the sector.”

(NAN)