Literary organisations in the country have called on the Federal Government to tread with caution as regards the chaos that the recent

removal of petroleum subsidy generated.

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Abuja Writers Forum (AWF), Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA), and many other literary groups, all called on the Federal Government to listen to the wishes of Nigerians.

In a statement released by the AWF, and signed by its president, Dr Emman Shehu, “the removal of the subsidy comes at a time when everyone recognises that the subsidy is not the country’s problem, but unbridled greed and corruption. We, therefore, believe that government should courageously confront corruption and not withdraw the subsidy.”

Also, in its statement, CORA called on the people to continue to maintain a peaceful posture even as they press for their demands on government for a listening ear.

“CORA has always preferred the path of national consensus through conversations and debates, and it is only through this that the country’s numerous challenges can be solved.”

For ANA, the fuel subsidy removal may be counter-productive to the development of creative writing in the country.

“We note that in the list of palliatives designed for the subsidy removal utilisation plan, nothing addresses book development, and we contend that a society bereft of idea-generation is a society receding into underdevelopment”, ANA said, while calling on government to define strategies and institute structures that will include a clear direction for book development and conducive literary culture in the larger interest of Nigerians.