A peaceful protest against increase in pump price of petroleum products was on Monday held in Benin Metropolis, paralysing business activities including schools, transportation cost and other essentials services.

Protesters who marched through the Sapele Road to the King square with placards that reflect the mood of the citizens, chanting solidarity songs, advised owners of shop outlets not to be left out of the struggle to liberate themselves and the nation.

TheNewspad reports that campaign to revert the hash economic policies of the federal government and petroleum marketers, which have sent shivers down the spines of residents and business owners, for several hours, will shift from civil disobedience to civil resistance on Tuesday.

Leftist Omobude Agho, former Coordinator-General, Edo Civil society Organizations (EDOSCO), lamented the citizens of the Country have been taken for granted and undergoing economic hardship in the midst of abundance.

He described the recent hike in the petroleum pump price is anti-people and Nigerians can no longer endure the present hardship and wondered why inflation has shut up without a corresponding increase in minimum.

“Fuel has become N700 and minimum wage is N30,000. Bag of rice is over N50,000 and the minimum wage is still N30,000.

“You cannot move from point unless you are carrying a heavy budget and minimum wage remain the same, we think we can’t continue like this in this country and we are coming out to say Nigerians must take action”, Agho said.

Omobude hinted that from the look of things in the country, it is now very obvious that the current leadership cannot provide the needed leadership the Country requires, therefore, they should give room for those who can, to do so.

“And if they know that they can’t provide leadership for the country, they should give room for those who can to provide leadership”, he said.

“All our economy saboteur, in high and low places, we will fight them.

“Before, we say we will resist them but now, we will fight them.

“Anywhere you see black marketers, pursue them, and don’t pity them that they are poor. Anybody that is wicked whether poor or rich , is wicked.

“Anywhere we catch a black marketers, we will seize the fuel, we will convert it and if you don’t have anything to do with the fuel, throw them away.

“So, when those at the black market don’t have the fuel, the filling stations will be forced to sell at the fixed price.

“And the filling stations that are selling above the federal government agreed price, we will begin to picket them.

“We know them and we know where they are and we shall get them.

“Our brothers and sisters are the ones working at these filling stations and we shall get them.

“Even those who are contesting elections that have filling stations, they are still part of the black marketers.

“Even those currently in government now, still join in the black marketing business. We shall get them”, Omobude assured.

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