Drivers issue one week ultimatum for Gov’t to reduce fuel prices

Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana(C-DAG) has given government a one-week ultimatum to have the price of petrol reduced.

The drivers contend the GHC 8.44 mark per litre of petrol is highly abnormal and causing an unbearable hardship on them, hence the call.

They have threatened failure to heed to this call will see members of the Association including their allies such as GPRTU, Co-Operative, PROTOA and Cargo Drivers mass up and block the entrances of the President’s  Nima residence to prevent him from going out.

“Yes, that action is just one out of many radical demonstrations we’ll embark upon to press on the president to have the prices reduced as we are considering also the blocking of all major roads with our vehicles,” the association said in a statement on Wednesday.

Prices of petroleum products are expected to shoot up by at least 5 percent from Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) has projected.

In its projections for the March, 2022 Second Pricing Window, which will take effect from March 16, 2022, to March 31, 2022, the IES said the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will go up by 3 per cent whereas petrol and diesel would go up by 5 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Fritz Moses, Research Analyst, IES, attributed the projected increment in prices of petroleum products to what he described as the “sharp” rise in fuel prices on the international market and “sharp” depreciation of the Cedi against the US Dollar in the just-ended window.

Currently, petrol and diesel are selling at an average of GH¢8.2 per litre at the pumps.

Below is the full Statement

Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana(C-DAG)

Press Statement By Regional Chairmen For Immediate Release

Government Must Reduce Fuel Prices

We send our warm felicitations to all Ghanaians most especially the media who have always awarded us a listening ear even amidst the dire tribulations the whole country is going through as a result of the daily increment of petrol prices.

This statement is issued by the regional chairmen of the Association because we feel the national executives have been mincing words and fail to press harder on harder on the government on this specific subject that has lingered on for a long time.

1. We are by this statement-making a clarion call on government to reduce the price of petrol in the country.

2. The GHC 8.44 mark per litre of petrol is highly abnormal and causing an unbearable hardship on us.

3. That, the continuous increment should never be justified by government with the Russia-Ukraine war and the continuous falling of the potency of the Cedi as against the US dollar.

4. It must be critically observed that, the tax component on the price of a litre of petrol is a major contributor to the abnormal rate. We strongly believe that, the taxes when removed will aid the reduction of the price of petrol. It must be noted that, one major promise of this government was to remove the taxes on petrol.

5. We wish to remind the President that, Ghana is an oil-producing country and so we possess every right to call on government to have petrol subsidised for us in circumstances where the world market price rises.

6. President Akufo Addo should remember that then in opposition, he promised to us during a campaign tour at Kwame Nkrumah Circle that, he was going to reduce petrol prices for us should we vote for him. Today, he is in his second term as President but has deliberately chosen to forget about that key promise. It’s about time he woke up from his slumber to act quickly!

7. In conclusion, we have given the President and his government a one-week ultimatum to have the price of petrol reduced. Failure to heed to this call will see members of this Association including amour allies such as GPRTU, Co-Operative, PROTOA and Cargo Drivers mass up and block the entrances of his Nima residence to prevent him from going out. Yes, that action is just one out of many radical demonstrations we’ll embark upon to press on the president to have the prices reduced as we are considering also the blocking of all major roads with our vehicles.

8. Amidst the continuous precarious petrol prices, we call on all Ghanaians to stand with us devoid of partisanship as we fight for a more relaxed arrangements to be made by government.

END

Sgd:

Nii Ashie, Greater Accra Regional Chairman,
0244722641

Akwadaa Nyame, Ashanti Regional Chairman,
0245132673

Kwesi Arhin, Central Regional Chairman,
0242126365

Aminu Issifu, Northern Regional Chairman,
0243047321

Alex Tenkorang, Eastern Regional Chairman,
0265540011