The Allied Peoples Movement has criticized Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo over comments comparing petrol prices in Nigeria with those in the United Kingdom and has called for his resignation.
The party said the comparison failed to account for differences in wages, purchasing power and living costs and therefore did not adequately reflect the affordability burden facing Nigerian households.
Okpebholo had reportedly said petrol sold for more than N3,000 per litre in the United Kingdom after currency conversion and argued that Nigerians were doing comparatively well because the nominal pump price was lower at home.
The APM rejected that reasoning and accused the governor of being insensitive to the economic pressures associated with transportation and energy costs.
It also warned against further petrol-price increases, noting that pump prices were already around N1,400 in Lagos and Abuja and about N1,500 in some areas.
The party said the more relevant measure was whether households could afford petrol relative to income and the wider cost of living.
The source report notes that UK petrol is indeed more expensive in nominal naira terms, but that this comparison alone does not establish relative affordability because income levels and other costs differ substantially.
The APM called on the Federal Government to focus on measures that could improve price stability and reduce the impact of energy costs on businesses and households.
Okpebholo, for his part, defended the Federal Government’s economic reforms as difficult but necessary and expressed confidence that the economy would improve over time.
