Fuel price hikes: Commercial drivers threaten 'naked' demonstration

Some commercial drivers across the country have threatened a naked demonstration if the government fails to reduce the price of petroleum products this week.

According to the commercial drivers, if prices of the commodity do not fall in parity with the current economic hardship in the country, they will be compelled to storm the private residence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the private residence of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to register their displeasure against the spiralling fuel prices and follow up with a naked demonstration at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana, Nana Yaw Kwakye, made this disclosure on the back of a projection by the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) that the petrol price of petrol will be hitting the GH¢10-mark while that of diesel will be nearing the GH¢11-mark per litre.

Earlier, the drivers had said the GH¢8.44 per litre of petrol is highly abnormal and causing unbearable hardship.

According to the drivers, the continuous increase in the price of fuel should never be justified by the government with the Russia-Ukraine war nor the fall of the cedi against the US dollar.

In their view, 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,” the concerned drivers noted in a statement.

They reminded President Nana Akufo-Addo that Ghana is an oil-producing country and “so, we possess every right to call on the government to have petrol subsidised for us in circumstances where the world market price rises.”

“President Akufo-Addo should remember that in opposition, he promised, 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,” the statement said.

The drivers have given the President and his government a one-week ultimatum to have the price of petrol reduced or together with their allies such as GPRTU, Co-Operative, PROTOA and Cargo Drivers, they will 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.”

“Amidst the continuous precarious petrol prices,” the drivers are also calling on all Ghanaians to stand with them devoid of partisanship as “we fight for a more relaxed arrangement to be made by the government."