Civil servants express distress over hardship imposed by fuel subsidy removal

Civil servants express distress over hardship imposed by fuel subsidy removal

 A group of civil servants  in Abuja have appealed to the Federal Government to take immediate actions to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on their living standard. 

In a conversation  with NAN reporters, some individuals expressed that the cost of living has reached an intolerable level for the inhabitants of the urban area, thus necessitating governmental intervention to alleviate the impact of the current circumstances.

Felicia Anthony, who explained her trying experience, said she found it difficult to cope with many challenges starting from children’s school fees, house rent and, most importantly, transportation to work with her present salary.

“It is my prayer that the federal government should assist citizens because, as it is now, ordinary civil servants can no longer cope with the present salary”.

Ms Anthony called on the government to look into ways to check price control of goods and services, as many people were now selling as they wished in the name of fuel subsidy removal.

“I am saying this because not everybody who is working as civil servants, even those working at private firms find it so hard at this present time. Something should be done about this because things are getting out of hand,“ she said.

Speaking about the proposed minimum wage increment in 2024, Ms. Anthony expressed her belief that it was unfair to remove subsidies without providing any additional benefits to workers. She argued that this decision has only added to the suffering of Nigerians.“If you removed the subsidy and there was nothing in support of it, it causes more hardship for us.

“There should have been supportive measures on ground first, particularly in the area of transportation, before we even think of minimum wage increment by 2024,” the civil servant said.

Mr Ukwa Denis, another civil servant, said the current economic situation was unbearable not only for the civil servants but for all Nigerians, adding that everyone is buying from the same market, pursuing the same goals of good living.

“The situation has been so hectic in a sense that much consideration was not put in place before the decision of subsidy removal,“ said Mr Denis.

According to him, the nation’s refineries and the petroleum industries could have been resuscitated before any action was taken to reduce the suffering of the subsidy removal.

“And for us as civil servants, our salaries cannot take us anywhere, considering the present economic situations with the meager salaries we are earning now, so the situation is not something we can cope with anymore,” he said.

Muhammed Idris, another respondent, decried the situation as uncalled for, considering the blessings God had bestowed on the nation.

“It is so disappointing for us as a nation to see what we are passing through today; those who ruled in the past when our refineries were functions, were they not leaders; why can’t we fix our refineries,” he stated.

Mr. Idris appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the urgent need for provisions to salvage the situation. He emphasized that the repairs of refineries should be considered a top priority in his administration. (NAN)