ENUGU YOUTHS DECLARE SUPPORT FOR FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL
Youths from Enugu State yesterday declared support for the removal of subsidy on fuel, saying the removal was long overdue.
The youth groups that converged on Presidential Hotel for the meeting included the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Enugu State Chapter; National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS); Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP); National Council of Moslem Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Enugu State Chapter; Youth Wing, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State Chapter; Congress of the various Political Parties Youth Organisations; Voluntary Youth Organisations registered with the NYCN, Enugu State; and Youth Empowerment and Leadership Foundation, Enugu State Chapter.
In a communique issued at the end of the town hall meeting, the youths argued that the removal of subsidy on fuel would help to check the monstrous corruption in the downstream oil sector, which has benefitted only a few to the detriment of the majority of Nigerians.
Therefore, they said, 'we declare our unalloyed support for President Jonathan's administration's effort to fully deregulate the downstream oil sector and that there could not have been any better time than now.
'We urge government at all levels who are captured as beneficiaries to implement the SURE Document to begin to bring to the front burner clear cut action plan for the utilisation of funds accruable from the fuel subsidy removal in order to restore the masses' confidence in the new policy.
'We express support for government's SURE programme and the prioritisation of the various projects for implementation listed in the SURE document across the federation.'
The youths believed that if the projects were executed within the target period, Nigerians would be better off.
They, therefore, recommended the establishment of monitoring committees in the various states on the implementation of the proceeds of the subsidy as a way of ensuring that the accruing benefits got to the grassroots people.
The youths also called for the immediate rehabilitation of the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways.
The communique of the town hall meeting with over 1,000 youth leaders and their advisers in attendance was signed by Temple Chinedu, NYCN Enugu State chairman; Onuorah Okeke, YOWICAN national vice president; Williams Onyebuchi, NANS representative and others.
Onu Abubakar, NACOMYO Enugu State chairman; Onu Abubakar, NYP representative; Chukwuemeka Uzu, YELF president and Uzoh Ifeanyi, NYCN headquarters, Abuja, national assistant secretary general.