An Awka based importer Chief Okwuchukwu Okafor has called on the federal government to find a lasting solution to the ongoing hardships Nigerians are passing through.

 

 

 

Speaking in an interview Chief Okafor regretted that the hardship Nigerians are facing is increasing on daily basis and called on the federal government to map out far reaching measures that will bring it to the barest minimum.

 

 

 

According to him, the hike and scarcity of petroleum products is compounding and making the situation worse, saying that buying a litre of petrol between nine-hundred-naira and above one thousand naira in Nigeria that prides itself as one of the major producers of crude Oil in the World is regrettable.

 

 

 

He charged the federal government to revamp all its ailing refineries in Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri to ensure adequate production of petroleum products in addition to selling it at moderate prices.

 

Chief Okafor, a community leader in Awa community, Orumba North Local Government Area, described petroleum products as the pivot on which the economy revolves. He stated that the increase in pump prices of petroleum products is seriously affecting the cost of other goods in Nigeria, thereby increasing the cost of living.

 

 

 

Chief Okafor called on the federal government to ensure proper deregulation of the downstream sector of the economy by allowing marketers of petroleum products to source for the product and sell to consumers at competitive prices, which he believes will crash the pump price of petroleum products across the country.

 

 

 

Additionally, he urged governments at different levels to engage youths, who are the leaders of tomorrow, in meaningful ventures, especially in skills acquisition programmes.

 

 

 

He commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative, which he noted will go a long way in creating youth millionaires annually and charged the youths to embrace the scheme to become employers of labor instead of being job seekers.