Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has told President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately direct the reduction of pump price of petrol and electricity tariff or face court action.
SERAP said the government must drop what it described as retrogressive measures against the Nigerian people
It described as patently unfair the arbitrary hike in electricity tariff and fuel price by the government of Buhari.
“This is unjust to many people living in extreme poverty, and entirely incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international human rights obligations,” SERAP said.
This was contained in a statement on Wednesday signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP deputy director.
SERAP said the increase will endanger lives and increase inequality and poverty exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
“SERAP will challenge this travesty in court if the Federal Government does not immediately drop these retrogressive measures against the Nigerian people,” the statement added.
The group pointed out that the hike clearly violates the country’s obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which the country is a state party.
SERAP called on President Buhari “to immediately drop the misguided hike,” and put in place an independent impact assessment of the increases on the poorest segments of society.
The group also wants President Buhari to identify alternative measures, “such as cutting the bogus allowances of people in the Presidency and members of the National Assembly.”
It urged the President to, without further delay, reconsider the arbitrary measures his government has taken and put human rights at the centre of his administration policies.
