Okpebholo should resign over UK fuel price comparison – APM
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has called on Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, to resign over his comparison of petrol prices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The party said the governor’s comparison failed to take into account the wide difference in income and purchasing power between Nigerians and people living in the UK.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the APM also criticised the increase in petrol prices to more than N1,500 per litre, saying Nigerians were expecting a reduction in the cost of fuel.
Yusuf said the APM condemned the sharp rise in petrol prices to more than N1,500 per litre, stressing that Nigerians were expecting the price to come down.
“It is unfair to compare petrol prices in Nigeria with those in the UK without taking into account the difference in workers’ incomes. Nigeria’s N70,000 minimum wage is far below what workers earn on average in the UK,” the party said.
The APM used teachers to illustrate the difference, saying Nigerian teachers earn about N70,000 or less, while a teacher in the UK starts with a monthly salary of about £2,839.
The party also argued that the two countries have different transport systems. It said Nigerians largely depend on informal and costly transportation, while the UK has a more structured and regulated public transport system supported by government subsidies.
The APM further pointed to other oil-producing countries, including Libya and Iran, where it said petrol is sold at much lower prices.
“What Governor Okpebholo failed to tell Nigerians is the fact that in other oil producing countries such as Libya and even Iran, which is presently at war, petrol is sold at an average of equivalent of N41 to N52 per litre,” the party said.
The party described the governor’s comparison between Nigeria and the UK as provocative, arguing that it could further increase public anger over the rising cost of living.
“It is therefore completely irrational and highly provocative for APC Governor Okpebholo to attempt to compare the situation in the UK to that of Nigeria,” the APM said.
The party also expressed concern that the governor’s comments could be seen as preparing Nigerians for another increase in petrol prices, although it did not provide evidence that such an increase was being planned by the government.
The APM also called on Nigerians to support its presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, in the 2027 election.