By
Rahman Owokoniran
On the 29th of May 2023, Mr. President in his now infamous speech declared that “subsidy is gone!” The way and manner in which this execution of the law was done was not only inhumane and reckless, it has been callous, dangerous and irresponsible.
It was clear from Day One of this government that it means no good for the people of this nation. Frankly speaking, who assumes office from Day One and delivers bad news by outlawing welfare policies of his predecessor, especially of the same party?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu couldn’t have been a magician to have pronounced such a policy without scrutiny. What information did he have to work with within hours of his assumption of office? Presumably, this is because he has been familiar with the unholy activities that permeated the oil industry and its business dealings, especially the NNPC scandalous and sharp practices.
He claims not to be a part of his predecessor’s administration, forgetting that he played a key role in ensuring its success at the polls in two elections cycles.
This President claimed not to be a part of Buhari’s administration and never benefited any patronage from the same government, yet he declared the removal of subsidy on Day One he was sworn into office. Whatever informed his decision begs to be understood.
Following are the government’s reasons for the withdrawal of fuel subsidy:
- Oil marketers were taking advantage of the nation’s reduced fuel costs being sold to an inaccurate number of consumers. What does it take to determine the nation’s fuel consumption per month?
- Neighbouring countries were feeding fat on the nation’s fuel sold at very low prices. How convenient is it for governments to transfer its responsibility to consumers? Would it not be better to monitor the distribution channels and control the flow of the product?
- The nation was not making enough money to sustain its own supply chain of fuel consumption. Why so? Too many questions unanswered for the government to have taken this hard decision.
- The government can no longer afford spending billions of dollars on fuel and energy subsidies in order to keep prices low.
What was so urgent about subsidy removal that you yanked the thing off without looking at the attendant effects on the populace you claim to want to serve? Who declares such an emergency? A military dictator! An example of which was the cancellation of a living contract for the construction of the metro line in Lagos State by a military dictator, General Muhammadu Buhari, who is yet to tell the state and the nation why the cancellation happened.
Should President Tinubu be a klutz in his approach to policies and procedures to ensure probity, compliance and accountability? Presumably this is a familiar terrain for the President. What could be his excuse for neglecting the pursuit of equity, fairness and justice?
Mr. President is known to have been an active participant in the oil industry, even if it’s by proxy. This is a testimony to the fact that he is not a stranger to the oil and gas sector. But this couldn’t have been enough to prepare him for the reckless emergency declaration of subsidy removal on his first day in office. Therefore, what could have been responsible for this decision by the President?
My guess is that he intends to save the conglomerates in the oil industry and the energy sector by making sure that there is enough money to spend for them with this policy. Imagine the same people who squandered the nation’s money being protected while the middle-class and the working-class people are being compelled to make all the sacrifices.
It is now more apparent that the pains are self-inflicted. The government of the day is draining and drowning its citizenry in bad policies, policies that are not people-centred. This government has shown lack of capacity in fixing our country because it doesn’t have any respect for the middle-class and the working-class. Worse still, the President has refused to engage his citizens. Even if the people in government are not talking to us now, we can feel the punishment inflicted on us and by so doing we know where they are coming from. Take a quick look at past historical records of Buhari and Tinubu and you’ll understand why these APC models are not capable of solving Nigeria’s problems.
The removal of subsidy, leading to the current hardship amongst others, is more than just a hoax for long-suffering Nigerians. Theirs is the anti-climatic suffering of a man with red eyes having his expected sympathiser blow pepper into the hurting eyes.
For a populace that eagerly looked forward to having succour from the brutality of Buhari’s eight years, Tinubu came and inflicted a greater evil.
HON. RAHMAN OWOKONIRAN WRITES FROM LAGOS
