Fuel price: Doctors, Port Harcourt residents call for policy review, refinery repairs

Doctors and Port Harcourt residents have urged the Federal Government to review its economic policies and fix the nation’s refineries to cushion the harsh effects of the subsidy removal on the people.

They regretted that the onboarding of Dangote refinery ignited rays of hope for Nigerians amidst economic hardships but expressed sadness that Dangote petrol entered the market with a sharp rise in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as fuel.

In an interview with some residents in Port Harcourt, they noted that only government-owned refineries can address the high cost of fuel, condemning the controversial increase in fuel pump prices.

A motorist in Port Harcourt, Mr Michael Uzoechi, lamented, “They raised our hopes and assured us that if Dangote finished his refinery, everything would normalise, and the price of fuel would reduce, but look at us today, the price of fuel has tripled with the arrival of Dangote petrol.

“This shows that our leaders are deceiving us, and it’s sad to say that the leaders are our real problem; they are not sincere. If they can sincerely fix the refineries across the country, I believe the cost of fuel will reduce.”

Another resident, a civil servant who lives in the Rumosi axis in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the State and works at the Ministry of Environment, Rivers State secretariat, lamented that he spends about N3,000 going to work daily, unlike a year ago when the same distance cost him about N800.

He said the saddening reality is that his salary remains unchanged. “The President needs to do something urgent; we are roasting in pain and hardship; prices of items have gone up rapidly,” he stated.

He said it was sad that the long-awaited Dangote petrol arrived with exacerbated costs.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) has warned that it would not hesitate to down tools should any of its members in any state be kidnapped or assaulted henceforth.

This is even as the body has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review its economic policies to cushion the harsh effects of the subsidy removal on the people and to revamp the security architecture in the country to end kidnapping and other forms of assault on the citizenry.

The body made the call in a communiqué issued recently after its National Executive Council Meeting (NEC), themed “The Role of Telemedicine in Enhancing the Health of Rural Dwellers and People With Disabilities” and sub-themed “Cholera Outbreak in Nigeria: A Call For Action.”

The communiqué, signed by the National President, Dr. Sofiri Starson Peterside, Jnr, and the Deputy Secretary-General, Dr. Anas Alhaji Idris, said the harsh economic situation in the country is encouraging the ‘Japa’ syndrome and making life unbearable for the populace.

It read, “NEC observed with dismay and serious concern the escalating hardship faced by Nigerians since the inception of the current administration due to the unplanned and controversial fuel subsidy removal, which has led to soaring inflation, crime surge, unprecedented levels of poverty, and poor accessibility of healthcare services.

“These have impacted negatively on the quality of life of healthcare professionals and the populace, promoting the ‘Japa’ syndrome and making life unbearable for millions of Nigerian citizens.

“NEC is very distressed and expresses deep concern over the escalating kidnapping crisis in Nigeria, where medical doctors are increasingly becoming soft targets for abduction, with alarming frequency and impunity, highlighting a catastrophic failure of the national security system. The fragile and failing national security architecture has resulted in the recent captivity of more than five medical doctors, alongside a trail of unreported cases, ransom extortions, and devastating consequences for families and loved ones.

“NEC also observed with great concern the report highlighting excessive spending and profligacy in governance, both at the national and sub-national levels, exposing disproportionate remuneration packages amongst different sectors and professional fields. A case in point is the overbearing cost of maintaining the federal legislators, which starkly contrasts with the precarious status of the national minimum wage and raises concerns around equity and fairness.”

It added that the NEC has also observed the unbearable rise in cases of malnutrition and other diseases among vulnerable populations, especially among people with disabilities, under-five children, and pregnant mothers, which has resulted in a surge of preventable diseases and mortality rates, underscoring the imperative for swift intervention.

The NEC, therefore, frowned at the growing number of new medical infrastructures built but abandoned, notably the Cardiovascular Center and Mother/Child Hospital in Rivers State, and Cancer Center in Kano State, amongst others, due to gross manpower shortage, poor needs assessment, and lack of provision of medical equipment.

Following the observations, the body “urged the Federal Government to review current economic policies to alleviate the suffering of the masses, especially vulnerable groups, mitigate the impact of fuel subsidy removal by ensuring functional local refineries and petroleum product production, stopping multiple taxation on essential commodities, providing a modern mass transportation system, expanding national health insurance coverage to include all vulnerable groups, and increasing budgetary allocation to healthcare that conforms with global best practices.”

NEC urged the Federal Government to revamp its security strategy framework, stressing the need for advanced intelligence gathering, technological innovation, and inter-agency synergy to prevent and combat terrorism, thereby safeguarding national security.

The NEC also demanded prudence and accountability in governance, urging for swift implementation of the minimum wage across all tiers of government and an urgent review of the salary structure for medical doctors and other healthcare workers considering the essential services they offer the populace, thereby promoting equity and fairness in salaries and wages across professional bodies.

NEC also resolved to take drastic action in withdrawing services if any member is assaulted or abducted from any of our member states, and this will be implemented across the country, in solidarity and support to the affected member and state.”

The body equally “appealed to federal and state governments to urgently begin massive recruitment of healthcare professionals into the health workforce to address the current healthcare service delivery gaps, prevent burnout, fatigue, and other forms of work-related stress currently experienced by the alarmingly low numbers of existing healthcare staff in the country.”