Mr President’s Fiction on Petrol Subsidy Removal

RingTrue By Yemi Adebowale

Phone 08054699539

This President Bola Tinubu’s claim that he loves Nigerians so much is fast turning into a ruse. His July 31 speech on the economic crisis facing traumatised countrymen confirms this. Tinubu is coldblooded. The few Nigerians prodding Mr. President amid spiking poverty/trauma in our land, activated by petrol subsidy removal, are also selfish and cruel. How can Tinubu declare that petrol subsidy had been unproductive and only benefitted smugglers and fraudsters? This is irrational fiction and Mr. President knows this.

This was the same Tinubu, who in 2012 fought against petrol subsidy removal, describing it as “the Goodluck Jonathan tax.” He even funded protests in Lagos State against Jonathan. So, what has changed? Well, let me remind Tinubu about the facts of subsidy. Petrol subsidy benefitted millions of Nigerians filling their tanks at N185 per litre before he assumed office. It benefitted a very large percentage of our population by its trickle-down effect on fairly low transportation and food prices, on production cost for manufacturers, fairly low prices of goods and service and on inflation.

The protests across the country in the last few weeks is a further confirmation that what had been helping millions of Nigerians to sustain a least living standard had been taken away. This Wednesday, hundreds were on the streets of Kaduna protesting petrol price hike. Speaking on behalf of the protesters, its chairperson, Dr. Dipo Fashina lambasted the Tinubu administration for introducing anti-people policies.

Last Monday, frustrated Oyo State civil servants protested against the economic crunch and demanded palliatives. On the same day, members of Osun Civil Societies Coalition stormed the streets of Osogbo in protest against high costs of living, urging the government to ensure immediate reduction in the pump price of petrol. Last week, Civil Society Organisations in Edo State were also on the streets of Benin to protest subsidy removal.

Last week, some distressed residents of Adamawa State went about looting stores with food, whether government-owned or private. That was why the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) said our beloved country “is on the brink of collapse following the removal of fuel subsidy.” The CBCN President, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, aptly said: “Our growing economic crisis became exacerbated with the recent withdrawal of petrol subsidy. Government has not ceased to inundate citizens with its fabled palliative measures to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal.

“I am sure those running the nation’s affairs at all levels know that palliative measures can never be a cure for any economic or health challenge. Provision of a constant source of energy remains the driving force in all developing and developed economies. Why is ours different? Why should we not subsidise fuel?”

Honestly, I quivered when Tinubu in that hopeless speech on Monday said, “In a little over two months, we have saved over a trillion Naira that would have been squandered on the unproductive fuel subsidy which only benefitted smugglers and fraudsters. That money will now be used more directly and more beneficially for you and your families.”

Our President has evidently been saving money at the expense of the blood of Nigerians. Previous governments that removed subsidy promised to use it for health, education, roads and general infrastructural development. It never happened. This country is still in a tattered state with decaying infrastructures. Enough of the same old story and the same old fraud.

On the smugglers and fraudsters, the few Nigerians Tinubu said were massively benefitting from subsidy. Let me say it straight away: This is a failure of government. Those in government, including Tinubu, Know the smugglers and fraudsters benefitting from subsidy. They deliberately failed to tame them. We were told that Tinubu’s government will be refreshingly different. I was expecting this federal government to exist for citizens. This is the essence of government. The security and welfare of the people shall be the priority of the state, so says the Nigerian Constitution.

Petrol subsidy must be retained because most Nigerians can’t afford to buy at market price. It is already consuming the entire incomes of most citizens. This is why there is so much pain across Nigeria.

Tinubu should note that the former head of Customs, Hammed Ali once punched holes in NNPCL’s claim that Nigeria was consuming 72 million litres of petrol daily. Ali said the NNPCL should show him the ports from which such quantity was brought into the country. If this government is truly interested in the welfare of the people, it will frontally tackle the fraudsters and smugglers benefitting from subsidy, so that the expenditure on imported fuel and subsidy payments can fall drastically. Conservatively, it can fall by at least 70 percent if smugglers and fraudsters are tackled bluntly. Then, the remaining 30 percent can be safely absorbed by the government so that Nigerians can breathe. This is the meaning of government.

Again, Reverend Ugorji construes it rightly: “We have severally been told that some people have been enriching themselves from our commonwealth through petrol subsidy. For many patriotic citizens, this argument does not hold water. Why has the government failed and unwilling or incapable of identifying the supposed culprits and bringing them to account for their sordid act? The root of Nigeria’s problem is massive corruption. For Nigeria to survive, we must collectively fight corruption, whichever way it rears its ugly head. Government must be told that we cannot afford the luxury of punishing the entire populace, because of the corrupt tendencies of a few. This is not fair to all concerned.”

I was shocked that Tinubu showed so much timidity in his speech when it came to this issue of tackling smugglers and fraudsters. He tragically declared: “This group had amassed so much wealth and power that they became a serious threat to the fairness of our economy and the integrity of our democratic governance. To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy and the institutions that govern it. Thus, the defects in our economy immensely profited a tiny elite, the elite of the elite you might call them. As we move to fight the flaws in the economy, the people who grow rich from them, predictably, will fight back through every means necessary.”

Failure of government! Yes, this is the real meaning as contained in Tinubu’s speech. A man that claimed his government would be different is panicked by a tiny elite feeding fat on subsidy. Tinubu prefers to throw Nigerians under a moving bus than tackle the “small, powerful yet unelected groups.”

Another issue I found infuriating in the July 31 speech was where Tinubu talked about ensuring staple foods are available and affordable, saying, “To this end, I have ordered the release of 200,000 metric tonnes of grains from strategic reserves to households across the 36 states and FCT to moderate prices. We are also providing 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer, seedlings and other inputs to farmers who are committed to our food security agenda.” Mr. President, where are the grain strategic reserves? Enough of this deceit. I have not seen a single household benefiting from the so-called grain reserves. I doubt if there are grain reserves anywhere in this country. I would like to see the reserves opened and pictures taken.

There is the planned provision of 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer to imaginary farmers. I have my fears for this too. In any case, thousands can’t access their farms because of raging insecurity. Tinubu did not even address this in the July 30 speech. Mr. President, you can’t implement any plan in the agricultural sector without first tackling insecurity. Few days back, scores of farmers were killed and others kidnapped in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.

Farming communities in Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Niger states are deserted because of unending killings by terrorists. Twenty-three women kidnapped in the farm by terrorists in Damaga, Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State since July 27 have not been released. The soldiers that should be inhibiting the terrorists are not doing too well. Last week, the terrorists killed seven soldiers during an ambush in Kangon Garacci village, Maru LGA of Zamfara State. No fewer than 19 villagers were also killed during the attack carried out by terror leader Ali Kachalla.

Before taking a crucial decision, the implications must be properly analysed. Where the negatives outweigh the positives, it must be dropped. Mr. President has simply been shooting before thinking on this subsidy removal. This is responsible for the clumsy responses to the economic chaos caused by the action. Subsidy removal was not carefully considered. This decision has destroyed the welfare of almost everybody in Nigeria. Production is severely hampered and jobs threatened. In just 60 days, an estimated 7.1 million Nigerians have been pushed into poverty by subsidy removal in a country with 133 million multidimensionally-poor people. Daily, thousands more are pushed into the poverty club.

It is not too late to roll back subsidy removal. Tinubu’s much-talked about interventions are largely superficial. They are just rubbish. In this modern era of protecting borders with technology, particularly using drones, smuggling of petroleum products can be reduced drastically. Blocking subsidy thieves and smuggling can cut subsidy expenditure by at least 70 percent. So, instead of spending about $10 billion annually on subsidy, it would come down to around $3 billion. This is the way to go for a leader that wants Nigerians to enjoy the dividends of democracy. It is the route to take. The security and welfare of the people must always be the priority of the state. Subsidy on petrol must return whether it is refined at home or imported. This is food for thought for President Bola Tinubu today.

Cutting Cost of Governance with 48 Ministers

Nigeria’s economy is going through a tough time with a huge burden on all of us. Tinubu said this much in his July 31 address to the nation. Back in May, he even said the federal government was taking loans to pay salaries. That is how bad the economic situation is. This same Tinubu has turned in a list of 48 ministers. What does he want to do with 48 ministers? This is just to satisfy his cronies. Some say there is a Constitutional provision for 42 ministers. So, why add six in this belt-tightening period? Struggling Nigeria will have 48 ministers, with a retinue of vehicles, aides and security men for the ministers. Is this how to cut the cost of governance? Does Tinubu really care about this country’s economy?

Besides, the credentials of most of the people on the disgraceful list of 48 are nothing to write home about. This is largely a list of failed, clueless, secondhand politicians. I’m talking about the likes of Nasir El-Rufai, David Umahi, Nyesom Wike, Bello Matawalle, Abubakar Kyari, Nkiruka Onyejiocha, Senator Bello Muhammed, Mohamed Badaru, Sani Danladi, Bello Goronyo, Simon Lalong, Heineken Lolokpobri, Dele Alake, Atiku Baugudu and Ibrahim Geidam. These are spent forces with nothing to offer this country. The list is also dominated by anti-democratic elements like Wike.

The non-politicians on the list of 48 are lackeys of Tinubu. It is a disgrace that this list did not in any way reflect the massive tank of talents and abilities that this country is known for. The likes of Uju Ohanenye, Stella Okotete, Mariya Mahmoud and Shuaibu Abubakar Audu have no business on the list. The high-quality Nigerians, found even among politicians in this country, were ignored by Tinubu. His so-called mission to turn around Nigeria is dead on arrival. What a shame.