The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for not having plans to ensure domestic crude oil refining as an answer to the crippling of the country’s energy sector.

The PDP national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday while reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s national broadcast on fuel subsidy removal.

He said the ruling party committed Nigeria “to the mercies of foreign interests and market forces.”

“The submission in the speech that there are no other ways but for Nigerians to suffer hardship and high costs further exposes APC’s scandalous cluelessness, lack of capacity and deficiency of innovative ideas to effectively steady and manage a nation like Nigeria.

“It also shows APC’s insensitivity to the suffering of Nigerians and lackadaisical approach to serious issues of governance. It is like the case of you take it or leave it! The APC should know that there is frustration in the society in the face of its apparent lack of ideas and leadership focus,” he said.

Mr Ologunagba sought transparent management of fuel subsidy and insisted that fuel should be sold for N150 per litre or less despite the removal. 

“Even with the removal of subsidy on petroleum products, the PDP restates that with a deft, transparent and innovative management of resources, economic potentials, national comparative advantage and expanded value chain in refining capacity, fuel should not sell for more than N150 per litre in the country,” he said. 

He said that rather than stimulate domestic crude production of CNG-fueled and alternative transportation systems, the APC planned to spend a whopping N100 billion to acquire 3000 units of 20-seater buses for over 120 million Nigerians who relied on public transportation.

“This will amount to 3 units of 20-seater buses for an average of 100,000 public transport commuters in each of the 774 local government areas across the country. This shows that the APC is completely disconnected from reality and lacks the capacity to manage a country as complex as Nigeria,” the PDP spokesman said. 

Also, he stated that Mr Tinubu failed to provide for riverine and coastal transportation in his speech. 

“In any case, the PDP charges Nigerians not to despair over the new challenges presented by the speech but to remain calm and continue to support one another at this perilous time while hoping in the judiciary to restore their mandate for the enthronement of a purposeful, people-oriented and effective administration that will work only for the interest of the people, ” Mr Ologunagba added. 

(NAN)