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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

FUEL SUBSIDY: who subsidies who?

MATHEW NWANAZA   

It is a cock and bull story the to people of Nigerian having seen and had those exports Clamoring  for subsidy removal without thinking the consequence in the life of poor and average income earner.  The so call exports, said that Nigerian have huge amount of money tied in fuel subsidy and it is not property utilized, therefore, it become necessary to remove it and use for restructure other sectors of the economy so as to better development”. How true is this accretion?

If so why not call for proper utilization. According to Jibril  Aminu, Former Minister of Petroleum and Senator representing Adamawa Central Senatorial District in the sixth senate and Anyaaku said that “if fuel subsidy was used100%for the benefit of Nigerian that would have been okay but we all know what happens; that a lot of Nigerian neighbors rely on the Nigerian subsidy its smuggling.

This is what they call arbitrage which is where people get free money and develop their pocket. Therefore, fuel subsidy must go” then, I ask is that the solution?   In the past we were told that the money saved from increment in fuel prices (access crude) would be used to provide infrastructure, maintain our hospitals and educational institutions. What is the State of our roads hospitals to day? Who are they subsidized? Who is subsidizing who?

Ngozi Okoajo-Iweaala and her team of experts who I call myopic experts” should stop deceiving us. Should stop adding more traumas to the already traumatized Nigerian people. Less than one percent government official’s lives in free houses, ride free car fueled freely by our money, then, still clamoring for removing subsidy. Why government officials busy looting our money and walking free
 along the streets.

If one could ask; where all these money recovered by EFCC? How much have they budgeted for power from 1999 till date? How many roads awarded without execution? What about Rail way, Education, water and hospital? Are there not fuel subsidies while budgeted and awarded without execution? Where these people were those projects are awarded for? Who are the cabals?

Unless federal government answers these questions, it will be uncharitable and in human for it to contemplate the removal of the fuel subsidy.  It is shameful that government intends to remove subsidy because a cartel which they know and cannot confront is feeding fat from the subsidy. Instead it is considered better and safer for the hopeless and helpless masses to bear the brunt!  It is high time we being to look into special advisers, ministers, legislators, governors etc. because they could be laced with personal interest. It is obvious that some interest of the state actors is larger
 than that of a nation.

I cannot understand why the government should be thinking of removing fuel subsidy because of the act a perceived cable and for the masses to bear the brunt of government‘s inefficiency. Why not build new refineries and fix the existing ones first.  If the amount of money-tied in the fuel subsidy was not properly utilized as the Economic Team or the expert adjured is our problem, then let adequate machinery be set- up to checkmate and ensured even 95%utilization to the benefit of masses. Or fix our refinery functional.

Moreover, Is there any law that prevent Nigerian not to export both crude and fuel at a go? Considering the crude oil with no less than four (6) products attach to it, we sold in one as a crude and bought indifferent products. It is a total dismal for Nigerian alarming removal of fuel subsidy while most of other countries are subsidized different item to their citizen, only this fuel subsidy that Nigerian wants to tell the whole world that they are subsidies their citizens.

Who is foully who? It was reported that 64% of Nigerian population live below the poverty line, then my question is, how many living on poverty line? 

Kenneth Olise (JP) said, “In Nigerian over 80%live in squalor. They do not have access to decent accommodation there by living in structures of varying degrees of deterioration. He stressed further those that live in rented apartment spent about a third of the disposable income on rent, workers who are still praying to and hoping on the government for minimum wage collect salaries that can not take them home.

To some, when they collect the pay there is no home where they take the salary to, this applies mainly to civil servant not civil masters, he said. What about the unemployed youth, poor market men and women, disable ones that can’t buy fuel anything more sixty five naira (65)? Because it is a vicious circle or system theory, it will affect everybody but only the poor masses will bear the brunt, while people like Good luckand his colleagues will not feel.

I strongly believe that those advising the government are insensitive, unpatriotic or mischievous. Therefore, any attempt to remove subsidy is a tantamount to social tension, poverty and ultimately National insecurity.  For God sake, why pilgrimages!

Nigerian spent Billions of Naira annually in pilgrimages to neither Saudi Arabia nor Israel, why no less than 1.6 m of Nigerian died in hunger according to report. Religious is a personal affair or activity, I wonder why federal, state and local government be sponsoring pilgrimages every year.

What is the impact of pilgrimages in Nigerian? Have poor people participated in this pilgrimage? If yes, what were the pact when came back? Any body that wants to go to Saudi Arabia or Israel should do that on his /her own pocket not national affair. May God help us.                                  

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