It’s Not Just Nigeria, Fuel, Foodstuffs Getting More Expensive In US, UK Too – FG

The federal government of Nigeria has defended the rising cost of items in the country including foodstuff, petrol, and diesel, arguing that the increase is not peculiar to Nigeria.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who spoke in defence of the government said the rising costs are a global phenomenon been experienced in many other nations of the world.

Mohammed during a press conference in Abuja on Monday where he addressed the issue added that those trying to paint the situation as a sign of failure on the part of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress are only being mischievous.

Naija News reports the Minister submitted that the issue is a global trend but the government is working hard to address the situation and mitigate the impact on Nigerians.

According to him, there is no basis to compare the prices of such items before 2015 when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in power and now that the APC is in government.

He said: “The last issue I want to address is the figures being bandied around by the folks on the other side and a section of the press, comparing the prices of some foodstuffs, petrol, diesel, etc., pre-2015 and now.”

“This misuse of statistics is clear mischief. Those who bandy around these figures without putting them in context are being clever by half. Let’s take the price of foodstuffs and petrol. Google the price of foodstuffs in other countries, especially the UK and the US, and you will discover a steep rise. Ditto for the price of gas or petrol.

“What we are saying is that this increase is a global trend, and it’s not limited to any country. Therefore, presenting it as a Nigerian problem is mischievous, disingenuous and a clear act of misinformation.

“Let me add that the crippling fuel shortage experienced across the country in recent times has started easing, as the measures put in place by the government begin to work.”

He accused the PDP of ben behind the misinformation going around in the conventional media as well as the social media, saying the opposition party failed in the sixteen years it was in power and stand no chance of returning in 2023 as Nigerians would reject it.

“We have consistently showcased the massive achievements of this administration in all sectors, even as we admit the challenges we face and work hard to ameliorate things. But against the resort to lies and misinformation by the opposition, it is absolutely necessary for us to dispel their misrepresentation of facts and put things in perspective, which is what we have done today,” he added.