N’Delta activist advises Tinubu to cut fuel prices, beware of deceptive counsellors

An elder statesman and Niger Delta activist, Sokari Soberekon, has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara to beware of men and women who come to tell them lies, disguised as half-truths.

Soberekon, issued the piece of advice in an exclusive chat with South-South PUNCH in Port Harcourt, on Monday, as he maintained that the increment in fuel price is orchestrated by those around the president, and not the president himself.

He said, “People near the President and Governor Fubara many times tell them half-truths and half-truth is a lie. So, I’m warning President Tinubu and Governor Fubara to be wary of half-truths.

“Now, on the oil fuel price, a journalist asked me, and I said, it’s not President Tinubu who fixed that price. And one of the journalists asked me, ‘Is it not President Tinubu who signed and approved it?’

“His table is so wide, so he treats files, when he is treating files, whatever has been passed to him by people, some may be half-truths, he will sign.”

The retired soldier turned activist, however, called on President Tinubu to bring down the fuel price to a minimum of N700 per litre, as he advocated that states in the Niger Delta region be allowed to pay less.

He enthused, “How can the people pay this huge amount of money for fuel? It’s a complete breakdown. I’m calling on President Tinubu now to bring down the fuel price to N700 per litre. That’s the seven letters of Nigeria’s spelling or Oloibiri, where oil was found. Believe me, the earlier President Tinubu does that, the better.

“I am saying President Tinubu must bring down the fuel price, not due to confrontation and others. For me, my style is to give my life. I gave my life to the people. I will also commit suicide if President Tinubu does not bring down the fuel price to N700 per litre and I know he is a good President who will not like his subject to die, he will do something about it. But, I condemn any demonstrators, any confrontations, to force him to bring down the fuel price. Fuel prices must come down.

“And oil subsidy, how can we subsidize oil price? While we produce oil in Niger Delta pay the same price.

“Why must we pay the same price? So it is wrong for us to pay the same as other Nigerians. We want different prices in the Niger Delta area that produces oil, like N500 per litre while the rest of Nigeria pays N700 per litre. And our crude oil must not be sold with Nigerian cash, it’s dollars. Nowhere in the world is crude oil sold in naira. They must not joke with our income.”

He accused petroleum marketers of contributing to the hike in fuel prices, saying, “All these marketers are petroleum touts. When we were celebrating oil discovery in Oloibiri, there were no marketers. These petroleum marketers, I describe them as touts. They are responsible for the upward hike in fuel prices. They (petroleum marketers) should give way and not make things difficult for the masses.”

He further maintained that contrary to opinions in some quarters, President Tinubu shouldn’t leave the petroleum portfolio, insisting that it is under the President’s purview.

He added, “The President must not leave the petroleum portfolio for anybody. The petroleum portfolio is under the control of the President. So, he must not leave it for anybody. They will steal Niger Delta products. And the privatization is illegal, the President should review it.”

Soberekon also called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, as he warned against the misuse of Biafra by some Igbo to cause harm in Rivers state.

He said, “The Igbos are misusing Biafra and terrorizing people up to now, in River State. Igbos have no claim in Biafra, they should stop, and the President should release Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu is a freedom fighter, he’s not a criminal. The President should release him and ban him and the Igbos not to talk about Biafra anymore.”

He recalled that in October 2017, referencing a publication in a national daily, the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, John Nani Nwodo, declared that the region desires restructuring and not an independent state of Biafra.