Senator Abdullahi Aliyu Sabi Monday sent out a message to those proposing further increase in the pump price of fuel, saying to them:  Stop it! He warned that such persons must not take the patience of Nigerians over current economic situation in the country for granted.  The Senator asked the Buhari government not to consider the suggestion of  past NNPC Group Managing Directors, who at the weekend called for new hike in fuel price arguing that the current N145 per litre was no longer sustainable.

And just as the Senator made the suggestion, some Nigerians interviewed warned the Federal Government never to give a second thought to such suggestion. They described the ex-NNPC GMDs as unpatriotic, insensitive and unfeeling. A commercial bus driver, Adeola, on the Oshodi-Mile Two axis of Lagos said at N145 per litre, the commercial drivers are now working just for fuel, explaining that “all the money we make go for fuel. We cannot stop working because we don’t have any other job to do. Government should not try it”, he said.

The Senator Sabi warned of the dire consequences of the advice of the former NNPC bosses.

Sabi, who represents Niger North Senatorial District on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC,  while addressing journalists said the former NNPC GMDs blamed the ex-NNPC GMDs for the current nation’s economic woes, saying they brought the country to its current situation.

He said: ”First and foremost, let me say that these are my personal opinion. I’m not making this submission as spokesman of the Senate, which means the position of the Senate. But I’m saying this in capacity as Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who represents the good people of Niger North Senatorial District.

“I read the newspaper report and I was disturbed, worried and I think for all intents and purposes, I’m very much disappointed. “First and foremost, let’s underpin the issue as follows: I saw it clearly: former Group managing Directors – almost all of them numbering close to 10 or so. And what came to my mind is that how did we get here?

“The NNPC as an institution was expectedly the life wire of this nation. As we have all known, refineries that we have in Nigeria have not been functional because if they have been functional and if that institution had been up and doing in tandem with its peers in other countries that have similar resource endowment as us, we would not be where we are today.

“For crying out loud, all of these former GMDs, can they be said to be free of blame on how we got here? “These refineries have not been working; the corporation itself has not been run transparently to the maximum benefit of Nigerian citizens.

“At least, I knew that it was just in this our change administration that the Minister of State (Petroleum), Ibe Kachikwu was able to tell Nigerians that the corporation had declared profit now because he has brought his wealth of private sector experience to bear on that corporation.

“As it is before now, which means this is talking about just one year of this present government. But before now, going down the lane through the period of the 16 years misrule of the PDP administration, and even before then the military have all been there. Our refineries have not worked. All the problems we are having are as a result of all these people who are assembled now to be the wise men to tell us what should be done.

” He continued: “As far as I’m concerned, all of them that are speaking do not have the moral standpoint to even advise us on what to do because they had a hand in it. “And I cannot see how you can solve a problem under the same condition that created it. Are we expecting these people’s advice to change the narrative?

“As far as I’m concerned, maybe they are sent to destroy this government. We will not allow them to do that because right now, Mr. President is grappling with inherited problems. He is trying his best to see that things are changed. And I think within this context, whatever it is we need to do to support him to succeed, we have always been ready as we have always done since we came on board to support him. ”If you look at the arithmetic, if things had been well, it is now that Nigerians are even supposed to enjoy because the price of petroleum has crashed”.