Media practitioners under the aegis of Ijaw Publishers Forum (IPF) have called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to decipher ways to cushion the harsh effect of subsidy removal on citizens of Delta State.
In a statement signed by the IPF Secretary, Tare Magbei, the group called on Oborevwori to tow the paths of his colleagues in Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa and other states to seek ways to alleviate the negative effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.
Magbei noted that Delta is well financially equipped to provide citizens with means to help deal with the financial burden on them, particularly those in coastal areas.
The media practitioners listed transportation and increase in minimum wage as basic avenues the government can explore in reducing the negative impacts of the increase in fuel price.
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Magbei said, “In the face of an overbearing rising cost of living occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy, the Ijaw Publishers Forum identify the need for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to proffer means to alleviate the effect of the hike in fuel price on Deltans.
“Avenues readily available for Governor Oborevwori to explore include an increase in minimum wage for civil servants and provision of a public transport system with a subsidized pricing.
“Delta is financially viable and capable of replicating the routes taken by the governments of Borno, Bayelsa, Edo, Rivers, amongst others, and that it should do,” he added.
IPF further urged the Delta State Government to either impress on the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to improve power supply or maximise the option of generating power for Deltans.
“This will help Small and Medium Enterprises and other businesses with power as an integral part of their service delivery to function optimally,” Magbei concluded.
Daily Report Nigeria recalls that the removal of fuel subsidy had left Nigerians with untold hardship following an obvious hike in the price of goods and services, as well as transportation fares.
