By George Mgbeleke
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has rejected the Federal Government’s latest push for state governors to reduce transportation fares through Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, insisting that the measure, while potentially helpful to commuters, cannot by itself resolve Nigeria’s deepening cost-of-living crisis.

HURIWA in a statement by its natonal coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the Federal Government must urgently confront the root cause of the escalating cost of transportation and production by taking decisive steps to bring down the price of petrol to a level that Nigerians and businesses can sustain.

The rights group is therefore calling for a drastic reduction of petrol prices towards the N180-per-litre level obtainable in 2021, arguing that Nigerians cannot continue to absorb the cascading effects of high energy costs across virtually every sector of the economy.

The call followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the 36 state governors to ensure measurable reductions in transportation costs from October 1 through expanded CNG and electric-powered public transportation programmes.

While HURIWA acknowledges the potential benefits of cheaper-energy buses, it insists that CNG buses are not a magic wand for an economy being battered by high energy costs.

The association notes that the cost of petrol does not affect transportation alone.

It directly and indirectly influences the cost of manufacturing, agriculture, food distribution, logistics, construction, small businesses and virtually every activity dependent on energy and transportation.

When the price of fuel rises uncontrollably, HURIWA says, the consequences travel through the entire economic chain.

A manufacturer pays more to power machinery and transport raw materials. A farmer pays more to move produce. A trader pays more to transport goods to the market. A small business pays more to operate generators. Ultimately, the Nigerian consumer pays the additional cost through higher prices.

This is why HURIWA considers the current approach of placing the burden of reducing transportation costs principally on state governors inadequate.

President Tinubu is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and bears the ultimate responsibility for national economic policy and the protection of the welfare of citizens.

HURIWA therefore finds it unacceptable for the Federal Government to appear to be shifting responsibility for the consequences of high fuel prices to state governors.

Governors cannot determine the international price of crude oil, regulate the entire downstream petroleum sector or independently resolve the structural weaknesses responsible for Nigeria’s energy crisis.

They can provide interventions, but they cannot substitute for a coherent national energy policy.

HURIWA consequently urges President Tinubu to move beyond temporary palliatives and take urgent measures capable of producing a sustainable reduction in energy costs.

The association notes the President’s argument that returning to the old petrol subsidy regime would expose Nigeria to the enormous fiscal burden associated with subsidy payments.

However, HURIWA insists that rejecting the former subsidy system must not mean abandoning Nigerians to uncontrolled energy costs.

There must be a credible middle ground between a ruinous subsidy regime and a situation where millions of Nigerians are priced out of transportation, food, production and basic economic activity.

The Federal Government must therefore explore every lawful fiscal, regulatory and market-based instrument available to stabilise fuel prices while protecting the most vulnerable Nigerians.

HURIWA also calls for greater transparency in the pricing structure of petrol, including the cost of crude, refining, importation, transportation, margins, taxes and other charges contributing to the pump price.

Nigerians deserve to know exactly why the price they pay at the pump remains so burdensome and what concrete measures the government is taking to bring it down.

The association welcomes the reported expansion of CNG conversion centres and alternative-energy transportation across the country, but warns against presenting these initiatives as a comprehensive solution to the nation’s economic crisis.

A CNG bus can reduce the fare paid by a passenger on one route; it cannot by itself reduce the cost of feeding a family, operating a factory, transporting farm produce or powering thousands of small businesses.

That distinction, HURIWA says, must guide the Federal Government’s response.

The association is particularly concerned about the potential consequences for the manufacturing sector if energy costs remain persistently high.

Manufacturers already operating under severe cost pressures may be forced to reduce production, increase prices or shut down altogether when the cost of energy and logistics becomes unsustainable.

Such closures would worsen unemployment, reduce domestic production and increase Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods.

HURIWA therefore urges the Federal Government to treat energy-price stability as a national economic emergency, rather than principally as a transportation problem.

The rights group further calls for accelerated domestic refining capacity, greater competition in the downstream petroleum sector, transparent pricing and targeted measures that can reduce the cost of energy for manufacturers, farmers, transport operators and households.

HURIWA believes that Nigerians should not be forced to choose between feeding their families and paying transportation costs.

The organisation equally warns state governments against passing the burden of expensive transportation entirely to already impoverished citizens and urges them to ensure that every subsidy or intervention genuinely reaches commuters.

Nigeria needs a comprehensive energy and economic rescue plan, not isolated interventions that merely move the burden from one level of government to another.

HURIWA therefore calls on President Tinubu to urgently convene relevant economic managers, state governments, labour, manufacturers, transport operators and civil society organisations to develop a sustainable framework for reducing energy and transportation costs.

The association maintains that the ultimate objective must be to restore the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians, revive domestic production and prevent the continued erosion of living standards.

The Nigerian people need affordable fuel, affordable transportation, affordable food and an economy in which production is once again viable.

CNG is part of the solution, but CNG cannot become an excuse for government to avoid confronting the wider fuel-price crisis.

HURIWA urges the Federal Government to act decisively before the combination of high energy costs, declining purchasing power and rising production expenses pushes more Nigerians and businesses beyond the limits of survival.

The time for fragmented interventions is over. Nigeria needs a comprehensive economic response that puts the welfare of its citizens at the centre.

By our Correspondent

The All Progressives Congress, APC, House of Representatives candidate for Ekiti South Federal Constituency, Engr. Toyin Okoro, has asked incumbent lawmaker, AVM Rufus Adeniyi Ojuawo (Rtd), to accept his defeat at the party’s primary and stop orchestrating a campaign of calumny against him.

Okoro said he would not be distracted by a sponsored media report claiming he was “grilled over alleged contract fraud” by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

In a statement in Abuja on Friday, the Toyin Okoro Campaign Council said its candidate only honoured an ICPC invitation to respond to a petition, which he did as a law-abiding citizen.

“An invitation to clarify issues is a routine procedure and does not amount to guilt, indictment or conviction. But in his mischievous and desperate manner, Ojuawo, who is apparently behind the petition to the ICPC, sponsored the media report aimed at discrediting the candidate of his own party just because he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives in 2027,” it said.

The Council, in the statement signed by its Director of Media, Strategy and Publicity, Yomi Abegunde, described Okoro as a law-abiding Nigerian with no criminal record, adding that “he has never been arrested, charged or convicted of any criminal offence in his life. He is a respected professional Engineer and public servant who served meritoriously.”

The Council said the petition alleged that Okoro operated as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a private company while serving as Senior Legislative Aide at the National Assembly.

“We state categorically that Engr Toyin Okoro never broke any law as he duly resigned as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of a private company when he was appointed as Senior Legislative Aide at the National Assembly,” it said.

It accused Ojuawo of embarking on a desperate mission to truncate the mandate freely given to Okoro after losing the primary conducted in May 2026.

“Before the primary election, Ojuawo petitioned the APC Screening Committee that screened aspirants, seeking the disqualification of Engr. Toyin Okoro. The Committee dismissed his petition for lack of merit and cleared him to contest.

“In the same vein, he sponsored another frivolous petition challenging the origin of Engr. Toyin Okoro as a bona fide son of Ise-Ekiti. This also failed woefully as his root and indigeneship are incontestable and well documented,” the Council stated.

It added: “Having failed at the party level, Ojuawo has approached the court challenging the outcome of a primary election he lost woefully. The matter is subjudice and we are confident the judiciary will uphold the will of the people.

“Realizing that all his moves have collapsed, Ojuawo has now resorted to weaponizing a respected state institution by sponsoring a phantom petition to the ICPC to embarrass and distract our candidate.”

The Council urged the public and supporters across Ikere, Ekiti South-West and Ise/Orun Local Governments to disregard the campaign.

“We also call on the Government of Ekiti State, the National Leadership of the APC, and all well-meaning stakeholders to pay close attention to these desperate moves capable of disrupting party unity.

“Most importantly, we call on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and all security agencies to ensure the protection of the life and property of Engr. Toyin Okoro and his family.

“The people have spoken through the primary election. The party has affirmed and INEC has approved. No amount of blackmail will stop our party, the APC, from coming out victorious in the 2027 general elections,” the Council added.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

Former President, Doctor Goodluck Jonathan, has called for the harmonization of structures and salaries across the Federal and State civil services in the country.

He made the call in Yenagoa during the foundation-laying and fund-raising ceremony for the Bayelsa State Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries’ Secretariat Complex.

The former President commended the retired permanent secretaries for the initiative, noting that the caliber of personnel in the Bayelsa State public service compares favorably to their counterparts at the federal level.

Doctor Goodluck Jonathan recalled how, during his tenure as Governor, he restructured the state civil service to introduce Grade Level 17 for Directors who previously retired on Level 16.

He emphasized that establishing a dedicated secretariat for the retired permanent secretaries would serve both retirees and the public, while making a strong case for uniform civil service structures nationwide.

Also, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State represented by the Head of Service, Doctor Ebiye Sawyer, pledged government support for the project, praising the retired officials for their vision and dedication.

In an address of welcome address, the Chairman of the Association, King Collins Ebi Daniel, described the proposed complex as an institutional edifice designed to embody the legacy of public service.

He explained that the center will house administrative offices, event halls, conference rooms, and recreational facilities.

King Daniel explained that the Bayelsa State Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries’ Secretariat Complex is expected to cost N500m and completed in two years’ time.

Other dignitaries at the event—including the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Imiri, a former Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Yenagoa Campus and the Chief Launcher, Chief Maxwell Oko—pledged their support, urging the association to leverage the facility as a policy institute for state and national development.

Also at the event were a traditional ruler King Amalate Turner and the Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Senator Benson Agadaga.

High points of the ceremony included the formal foundation laying by Doctor Jonathan, a fund-raising session, and a cultural presentation by the Bayelsa State Council for Arts and Culture.