The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fuel price

  • Fuel price: Don’t test our resolve, NLC warns FG

    Fuel price: Don’t test our resolve, NLC warns FG

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the federal government against testing the resolve of workers and other Nigerians by contemplating an increase in the prices of petroleum products.

    The congress also backtracked on its earlier support for the plan by the Buhari administration to borrow about $29 billion, saying the government should instead pursue and recover stolen government funds and use same to fund infrastructural development

    Speaking at the opening of its National Executive Council meeting in Sokoto, NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, expressed concern over ongoing media campaign and contradictory statements from the NNPC and government officials on the rumoured plan to increase the pump price of petrol.

    He said the congress was totally opposed to any form of increase in prices of petrol as such an act would further increase the sufferings of Nigerians, adding that congress would mobilise Nigerians to resist any such increase.

    Wabba said: “While Nigerians are still struggling to cope with the severe hardship imposed on them by the last increase in the price of petroleum products, there are ongoing media campaigns and contradictory statements by the NNPC and government officials on yet another plan to review the template for the pricing of petroleum products.

    “We are totally opposed to any further increases as we are yet to see the benefits of the last increase even as the current Minimum Wage Act has not been reviewed.

    “It would amount to unleashing further hardship on workers and the poor if any further price increase is allowed.

    “The government must not take us for granted. Indeed, the patience and perseverance of the entire populace must not be taken for granted, as we will sure mobilise the entire citizenry for mass protests in addition to other legitimate actions to resist any further increase.

    “What is urgently required of government is not another increase but a downward review of the current pump price of petroleum products.

    “The current National Minimum Wage Act has long elapsed, and as you are already aware, we have long submitted our proposal for a review but Government seems not in a haste to recognise the urgency in attending to our demands.

    “Nigerian workers and pensioners are as important to the growth of the economy and must not be allowed to continue to suffer further hardships.

    “We therefore reiterate our call on government to treat the review of the minimum wage and pension with the utmost urgency they deserve.”

    While commending the Federal Government in its sustained battle against corruption and determination to ensure good governance in our country, Wabba said the battle should be more systemic and institutionalised with strong laws and institutions strengthened enough to sustain the battle, adding that “our country has been seriously harmed both in image and resources by the impunity with which public funds were looted for decades such that what we need is beyond a flash in the pan approach.

    “We will support government in all areas that will promote good governance at all levels and all facets of the Nigerian society as long as it sustains its commitment to delivering people-driven governance that will promote decency and growth in all spheres of our socio economic and political endeavour.

    “But we will not support the plan by the Federal Government to borrow more money from anywhere as we obviously have enough to attend to our immediate needs.

    “For instance, if the government vigorously pursues those in possession of our collective wealth, especially multinationals who have refused to remit funds meant for corporate Nigeria, we would have enough to rejuvenate the economy and the quality of the lives of our people.

    “NEITI has already been quoted to have discovered that $22 billion (twenty-two billion dollars) has not been remitted by multinational firms to the federation account. This amount alone can take care of some of the areas any new loan is expected to be expended on.

    “If we must borrow, perhaps such borrowings, on terms strictly not against our collective interests and in particular not designed to deepen our debt burden, it should be directed towards revitalising rail transportation and roads and not for servicing remunerations or tastes of public office holders.

    “Loans must have specific targets in public interest and strictly directed to their original uses; that is if we must take any at all.

    “We are also opposed to the idea of giving public funds to bail out commercial banks or interests, especially the recent proposal to give out $7 billion as bailout funds to commercial banks without any repayment schedule whatsoever.

    “While we also support the need for budget reform, we urge the government to ensure that the process is all inclusive, transparent, accountable and in line with the principle of good governance.

    “Once more, we urge government to be very careful with the process of economic reforms and development as it has become clearer around the world that neo-liberal prescriptions handed troubled economies have not been of any help but rather further unleashed mass poverty and infrastructural decay on recipient countries and their citizens.

    “The prescriptions only generate massive wealth for the tiny few rich while devastating the quality of lives of the citizens.

    “Indeed, a prominent report by Forbes has alarmed that ‘unless it changes, capitalism will starve humanity by 2050’.

    “We should not be seen to be accepting alien economic recovery policies that have been proven to be responsible for our problems in the first instance, as all previous prescriptions from the Breton Woods institutions have only ended up destroying our economy and impoverishing our people.

    “We have enough intellectual capacity in our country that can develop people-driven policies that is truly rooted in our specific circumstance for the recovery of our economy.”

  • Fuel price and FCT minister’s palliatives

    SIR: I write to commend the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello for the palliatives he recently introduced in the FCT to mitigate the effect of the recent hike in the pump price of petrol on workers of the FCTA and indeed other residents of the territory. This decision stands out as a manifestation of his exemplary leadership.

    Obviously, bus fares all over the territory have doubled, with the recent increase in pump price of petrol from N86 to N145, and this has further increased the hardship being experienced by workers and other residents of the territory.

    The metropolitan nature of the city is such that most of the government workers and other businessmen live in the outskirts of the city but work and do most of their businesses in the city centre, meaning that they would be spending heavily on transportation when in actual sense their income has not increased.

    The minister has shown a rare demonstration of selfless leadership and high degree of love for the residents through the palliatives rolled out to soften the blow.

    Some of the palliatives include a directive to Abuja Urban Mass Transit Company (AUMTCO) to increase the number of large capacity buses plying the various routes in the territory, particularly the satellite towns to ensure that transport fares remain stable and are not arbitrarily increased by other transport operators. Additionally, the FCT administration is re-introducing the operation of the staff bus scheme by making new buses available to convey workers from their homes to the office and back. This measure is geared towards the administration’s desire to improve welfare of members of staff.

    The designated routes for the re-introduced staff bus scheme are: Nyanya/Karu; Mararaba/Masaka; Keffi/Nasarawa and Suleja/Zuba. Other routes are: Kubwa; Gwagwalada/Lugbe; Jikwoyi/Karshi; Dutse/Bwari as well as Kuje.

    The minister has equally directed all heads of Secretariats, Departments and Agencies under the FCTA to ask interested members of staff to indicate their willingness to join any of the approved routes to ensure that no staff is left out of the scheme.

    He has further given his assurances that the FCT administration will work assiduously to fully implement the FCT component of the palliative measures announced by the Federal Government as contained in the 2016 budget in order to bring soccour to the generality of Nigerians.

    No doubt, the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry has increased the suffering of Nigerians. But these steps by the minister are indeed a welcome development that will reduce the plight of workers and other residents of the FCT. Kudos to the FCT Minister.

     

    • Danladi Akilu,

    Durumi II District, Abuja.

  • We’re consulted before fuel price hike, says NUPENG chief

    We’re consulted before fuel price hike, says NUPENG chief

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is backing the petrol price increase because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s sincerity in addressing the decadence in the system.

    Speaking with The Nation, NUPENG’s  Southwest Chairman, Tokunbo Korodo said  his union and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN)  were consulted before the increment. But, the unions, he said, had not taken the message to their members before the announcement.

    Korodo said the country was on the verge of economic stagnation, noting that the only way to move the economy forward was to support the government’s action.

    “We met and x-rayed the problem confronting the oil industry at large. We considered the sincerity of the government as it relates to infrastructure and some policies in oil and gas industry.

    “We also put into consideration, the plight of Nigerians. After putting all these forward, the two unions, after a strong deliberation, arrived at a conclusion. We came to support the government and the policy of price modulation. We believe that if the market is opened a little, it will create more room for investment,’’ he said.

    Mr. Korodo said foreign investors with genuine gesture will come in with their products and this will create more jobs for the jobless.

    “The foreign investors will not rely on foreign exchange from government. So, it is a bold step in the right direction,” he said.

    He urged Nigerians to support the price increase, adding that it was a bitter pill the country had to swallow.

    The chairman said  the two unions would not be part of the strike by called by a  faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).

    “We have informed our members to work and ensure that nobody intimidates them while doing their work,” he said.

  • Fuel Price: Appeal for understanding

    SIR: Finally, the Federal Government of PMB bites the bullet over a realistic price regime for fuel products in Nigeria. After an initial glitch and prevarication which though understandable, government finally pegged the price at N145 per litre of PMS. Normally and ordinarily, one expects labour to match out ferociously against the move, much more so that a similar move by the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan was greeted by same economic shut-down compelling the government then to beat tactical retreat. Labour may therefore appear hypocritical and unsurefooted if mum is the word this time around. This may loosely give some justification for Labour’s planned nation -wide industrial disharmony in Nigeria.

    However, bearing in mind the enormous goodwill and trust upon which this government rode to power, one may want to call for understanding, mutual trust and perseverance . One more chance Labour has is to revert back to its original plan if government proves insincere with the lofty promises :there is always a second chance so goes the saying. People calling for calm have always predicated and premised optimism on promises made by government if the hike is allowed to stay.   Hopes of job opportunities, renewed infrastructure, products availability, economic growth and social -life change-over are too attractive, beneficial and beautiful for anyone to ignore. These are in addition to the expectation of delectable economic environment that will magnetize foreign investment and liberalize business potentialities in the oil sector. So, rejecting the hike without a heart for these promised opportunities, no matter how forlorn they look, seems mindless ,utopian and merely throwing away the child with the bathwater. Optimists in the present game of price increase may therefore be seen not to have placed their enthusiasm on false hope.

    Lastly, global trends tend to tilt in the direction of inevitable subsidy removal. Aside humongous sums for maintaining subsidy, which in actual fact is hard to find, most of the oil -producing nations even more economically stable and diversified than Nigeria, have yielded to more sterner measures as a natural sensitivity to hopelessly nose -diving oil income. These countries include the United States of America, China, Iran, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela ,Kuwait, Iraq and even the octopus oil producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia. If these countries with combined capacity of supplying 64 per cent of world energy requirements have had their various doses of economic readjustment prompted by declining oil income, it would be foolhardy for Nigeria to sit -by and whine endlessly over inclement economic situation back home. Nigeria occupies the 13th position out of 118 nations of the world powering the planet earth with petroleum, biofuel,liquids derived from coal and oil shale according to a 2013 statistics released by CIA World Factbook and International Energy Agency (IEA). Against this background, it looks dystopian and rash and even economically unsustainable to retain payment of phantom subsidy in the face of overly economic adversity. A passionate appeal is therefore made for some understanding and trust. Government too must not willingly or inadvertently bungle the goodwill which it has been enjoying from inception till now. In fullness of time, national interest will be the better for it. The time for understanding and collaboration by all stakeholders cannot be grimmer and riper than now.

     

    • Femi Y. Y. Oyedemi

    Hillsboro, Oregon, USA

  • Fuel price: NUPENG seeks drivers’ compliance

    Fuel price: NUPENG seeks drivers’ compliance

    The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), an arm of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has warned its members against flouting the rules guiding the distribution of fuel nationwide, even as the battle for the reversal of new fuel pump price rages on.

    PTD said it was in support of the subsidy removal and the increase in fuel pump price from N86.50 per litre to N145 per litre, so it would not condone any acts of lawlessness that would lead to the disruption of the supply chain.

    The PTD’s National President Mr. Salimon Oladiti said the body was striving to ensure compliance with petrol, diesel and kerosene distribution guidelines.

    He said the association was monitoring its 12,000 members closely to ensure the effective distribution of petroleum products in the country.

    Oladiti said: “The issue of compliance to the rules guiding lifting of fuel from the depots and subsequent distribution to designated retail outlets is paramount to the body. This explains why PTD wants its members to comply with all known regulations on the issue. Failure to do this would attract punishment from the body.

    Compliance, he said, should be total, if PTD wants to achieve its goal of helping Nigeria to overcome problems in the fuel supply chain, among others.

    “The leadership of PTD has ordered its members to obey directives from NUPENG, oil marketers, depot operators (both government and private owned), and other critical stakeholders, once the directives are geared towards improving fuel supply in the country. By so doing, the body is helping the country to reduce problems in the downstream sub-sector of the nation’s oil and gas industry,” he added.

    Oladiti said the body had agreed to supply fuel to retail outlets, not minding the problems associated with the fuel price increase. He noted that PTD is subservient to the rules guiding the operation of NUPENG, and must, therefore, support NUPENG’s stand on the hike in fuel price.

    According to him, PTD is ready to support parties or groups interested in how to reduce problems associated with fuel distribution.

    The Vice Chairman, South-West, NUPENG, Mr. Tokunboh Korodo said tanker drivers would distribute fuel regularly as long as a conducive environment is in place in the country.

    He said an enabling environment is required to promote the growth of the economy, and the oil and gas sector, adding that operators in the sector cannot operate in a vacuum.

    “Tanker drivers would continue to supply fuel as long as there is a safe environment. The government has announced the new fuel price, and we have embraced it. We have planned to distribute fuel regularly irrespective of the problems that trail the rise in price of fuel,” he said.

  • Fuel price strike: Senate to interface with FG, NLC

    The Senate Wednesday resolved to interface with the Federal Government and the organised labour on an early resolution of the industrial action by a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the fuel price hike.

    The upper chamber mandated its Committee on Labour to interface with both the Federal Government and the organised labour to ensure that issues that led to the strike are quickly resolved.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, announced this after about 30 minutes closed session.

    Ekweremadu said that the Senate in the closed session deliberated on the nationwide strike by organised labour.

    He noted that the intervention of the Senate became necessary in order to find ways and means of resolving the issues that led to the strike to avoid inflicting untold hardships on Nigerians.

    He added that “We also mandated the committee on Labour under the chairmanship of Senator Mohammed Nasif, to continue to interface with both government and labour for an early resolution of all the matters.”

    Meanwhile the upper chamber adjourned plenary till Tuesday May 24, 2016.

    Although Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, claimed that the adjournment was informed by the need to enable standing committees to works on bills referred to them, insiders said that the adjournment was actually to allow Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators time to prepare for their national convention holding in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital on Saturday.

     

     

  • Fuel price may go up

    Fuel price may go up

    NIGERIANS should brace for new petrol prices, with the Federal Government deregulating the downstream sector of the oil industry.

    There is likely to be a minimum of 27.17 per cent hike in fuel price nationwide, officials told online newspaper Premium Times.

    The policy is likely to push the pump price of petrol to about N110 per litre at Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)-owned filling stations and higher at independent outlets.

    Industry sources were quoted as saying the government were thinking of discreetly giving permission to petroleum products marketers to gradually adjust their pump prices as early as this week to signal the take-off of deregulation.

    The sources, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said the government resorted to that drastic decision to end the vicious cycle of fuel scarcity and avoid subsidy payments.

    Unlike the situation in 2012, the sources said the government appeared to have successfully wooed organised labour and its affiliate unions to its side.

    That claim could not be independently verified.

    Insiders also said top level secret meetings had been going on all week to weigh the security implications of the policy.

    NNPC spokesman Garbadeen Mohammed was quoted as saying reports of the planned deregulation was new to him.

    Full deregulation policy, which involves opening up the downstream petroleum industry for participation by all players, particularly the private sector, is widely considered the panacea for the incessant fuel supply crisis in the country.

    With full deregulation, there will be fair competition, with the burden of petroleum products supply and distribution shared between private investors and government, with both having equal access to all aspects of industry operations, ranging from refining and sourcing to marketing and distribution.

    While government will continue to  monitor and enforce compliance with established standards, products pricing will be determined by the prevailing market forces in an atmosphere of competition.

    Over the years, the government bore the burden of subsidy payments on petroleum products consumed in the country.

    Under the arrangement, landing cost of fuel, plus the distribution margins included in the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) pricing template have always imposed on government the extra burden of shouldering all costs in excess of a fixed retail pump price of N86 per litre as subsidy.

     

  • The new fuel price

    The new fuel price

    Few days into the new year, the Federal Government, through the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, (PPPRA), announced a new regime of prices for premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol. Under the new template, retail stations owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), effective January 1, were mandated to sell petrol at N86 per litre; independently-owned stations are expected to sell at N86.50 per litre. The  price was to come into effect on January 1.

    Before then, there had been widespread speculations as to which course the Federal Government would take to address the contentious issue of fuel pricing, particularly the so-called subsidy component that had constituted a huge burden on the treasury, and the challenge of ensuring steady, uninterrupted supply of fuel across the federation.

    Whereas the steady climb-down in global oil prices had meant that a reduction of sorts in fuel prices had become imperative, Nigerians must have been taken aback by the form that the announcement of the new price took. If they expected well-thought-out initiatives as earlier promised by President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the problem once and for all – and in a holistic manner that the issue dictated – what was on offer was a tepid attempt that falls short of a solution, a mere relapse into the familiar routine of tampering with a template that is neither sacrosanct nor entirely credible. It is, to put it mildly, a case of putting the cart before the horse.

    To begin with, if ever the Federal Government was in any doubt about the efficacy of its latest panacea, the fact that the new price regime has largely been observed more in the breach should be enough proof. Presently, with perhaps the exception of Lagos and Abuja where the new price holds sway and even to a limited effect, most fuel stations have continued to carry on, selling at prices of their own choosing, far above the recommended retail price.

    Indeed, across most cities outside of the twain, the issue has long gone beyond prices but getting the product to buy. Unlike the Federal Government that continues to pretend, Nigerians know where the problems lie. The root, to be sure, is the current dependency on imports, while the branches are the derelict states of the fuel distribution infrastructure and the associated corruption of subsidy administration that these have spawned and which have now constituted a national albatross. We see the current inequitable regime of pricing as mere derivatives or symptoms that would not be cured by one-sided measures of routine price adjustments no matter how well intended. What the situation require are bold measures principally to address the twin issues of domestic supply gaps and the industry’s obsolete refining and distribution infrastructure.

    Skirting round the issue as the latest measure is wont to do, in our view, merely begs the question. The question of how long Nigeria will continue to depend on imports of refined fuel and hence be subject to the vagaries of international currency movements in the determination of fair price of the product persists.

    Nigerians are obviously entitled to know what the Buhari administration is doing, in concrete terms, to address these identified problems. Nigerians may be long-suffering, what they need at this time goes beyond platitudes that have now become fashionable. A good way to assure Nigerians that it truly means business is for the government to come up with clear programmes of action – with specific timelines – to wean the country off the current dependency on fuel importation and to restore the vast network of pipelines that have been savaged by vandals. We daresay that the time for placebo is long gone.

  • Fuel price soars by 50% at depots as scarcity bites

    Fuel price soars by 50% at depots as scarcity bites

    • IPMAN orders 24hrs dispensing

    Price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), or petrol soared by about 50 per cent at  retail outlets  following the hike in price of the product at the depots, it was learnt.

    A daily industry price survey conducted by marketers at depots in Apapa, Lagos, revealed that yesterday’s average price per litre of PMS was N112 as against the normal price of N77.66 per litre. The MRS depot sold at N110 per litre, Honeywell sold at N111, while Folawiyo and Capital Oil and Gas sold at N115 per litre respectively, reflecting an increase of about 50 per cent.

    Fuel tanker drivers were seen milling around the gates of the depots looking for people that would facilitate easy access to Depot managers to enable them buy the product, even at such high prices because some of them have spent weeks waiting for their trucks to be loaded with product.

    One of the marketers, who asked not to be identified, told The Nation that currently, none of them (marketers) has fuel because, as he put it, “there is no money to import,” saying that because demand far outstrips supply now, there are grave sharp practices at the depots. He noted that the depots of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) still sell at the regulated price of N77.66 per litre, but immediately the loaded truck comes out of the gate, the product is sold to the waiting tanker drivers and marketers who are willing to pay higher margins.

    The marketer was of the view that price of petrol may rise to as high as N200 per litre at filling stations in Lagos before the week runs off, stating that it is only the NNPC that currently imports and it lacks the capacity to distribute and meet the 50 per cent daily national consumption it claims to possess. He said the turnaround time of the vessels that bring supply NNPC fuel, is very slow. Unlike marketers that use three days to discharge their vessels, each of the NNPC’s vessels takes over one week to discharge, putting pressure on demand. The timeframe between the discharge of one vessel and another is long, he said.

    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Ohi Alegbe, said the marketers are being economical with the truth because of the subsidy money owed them. There is enough to go round if the marketers sincerely distribute it, adding that the Corporation recently decided to be publishing its daily fuel supply from the depots, indicating the quantities given to marketers and the trucks that took the products, to confirm transparency and commitment of the government to providing fuel for the populace, alleging that some marketers want to discredit the government by diverting and hoarding the fuel given to them.

    He said the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu had a meeting on Wednesday last week with the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and the Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON), and NIPCO, to find ways to bringing the fuel scarcity to an end, and they pledged their support. He stated that the Minister assured them that the subsidy debt would soon be paid because President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a letter to members of the National Assembly regarding the matter.

    The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has commenced 24 hours dispensing of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to end the fuel scarcity across the nation.

    President of IPMAN, Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo, in statement yesterday, said this was part of its effort to end the hardship of motorists in the country.

    He said after meeting with the officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other security operatives last week in Abuja, the body agreed to commence dispensing across major cities non stop based on certain conditions.

    “The scarcity would soon end. NNPC management assured us of sufficient supplies, and based on the loading template, we have started seeing the changes.”

    He said the directives affect members that operate within the major cities in the country, urging that any marketer that has security issues while dispensing, should contact the security operatives, or the IPMAN headquarters in Abuja, or its zonal offices.

    Okworonkwo said some of the major challenges in the past, included failure to adequately supply its members with enough fuel, while some depot owners deliberately decided to deny his members products even though they have paid for it for a very long time.

  • Fuel price hike again?

    Once more, the Jonathan administration is demonstrating utter insensitivity to the plight of the general public that presumably elected him to run the affairs of the country till 2015. Since he assumed office in May 2011, it has been a litany of woes; some due to clear incompetence, others due to sheer wickedness and recklessness. Despite confessing to starting life as a poor child in a typical Ijaw village, the president has not demonstrated empathy for the underprivileged. Many are wont to blame the ills being perpetrated by the regime on the legion of advisers. I choose to differ.

    A leader is free to choose those to work with. When he does, he makes a statement about the direction he has chosen to travel. The first indication that a leader intends to succeed is given by the quality of officials and advisers he picks. He is thus saying that he would take responsibility for their deeds and misdeeds. Why then turn around to blame them when things turn awry? In any case, he also has full powers to sack any official who fails to live up to expectations. But, when an Edwin Clark decides what government does and who is saddled with what responsibility, the outcome is obvious.

    Twice now within a week, President Goodluck Jonathan has informed us to brace up for another round of hardship as his government is set to further inflict pains on Nigerians already impoverished by his regime’s economic policies. He said the so-called fuel subsidy would soon be finally removed. He believes that his government has got over the spontaneous demonstrations in various parts of the country January last year. He is driven by the need to start amassing wealth to fight the 2015 electoral battles and thinks the best way to do it is make the people pay to enable him impose an unpopular government on them. Dr. Jonathan is no longer afraid of the likely consequences of the action.

    It is a shame that, despite the ugly revelations during the probe of the subsidy deals presided over by the Petroleum Resources Ministry, no official has been punished. It is business as usual. To buy time, the regime had moved swiftly to hoodwink the people by setting up committees and task forces that would ostensibly sanitise the sector. The two houses of the federal legislature also swung into action and treated Nigerians daily to theatrics.

    A SURE-P scheme was hurriedly initiated to lull the people into believing that infrastructure would be given facelift. And, to further indicate that it meant business, it sought to buy into the integrity of an over-recycled Dr. Christopher Kolade. A nonagenarian Kolade was made chairman of the scheme in the same way that General Muhammadu Buhari was brought by General Sani Abacha to preside over the Petroleum Trust Fund. In about one year, it is obvious now that the SURE-P has collapsed. Dragged before committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate, Dr. Kolade failed to convince anyone that he is really in charge. He neither could defend activities of the programme in one year, nor could he explain the notorious duplications in the budget.

    Now, the regime wants to increase prices of petroleum products again using the same jaded and hackneyed arguments that the military first introduced. Why should anyone trust Jonathan and his clique when they have failed woefully to justify the confidence earlier reposed in them? What would they be doing with the trust they want reposed in them this time? Should more fund come into government coffers, how would that translate to better life for the people when we have a government that is at best at sea on most issues?

    Very soon, my brother, former comrade and friend, Labaran Maku would be all over the public space, making those points that he had joined us in debunking when Babangida first advanced them in the early nineties. He would tell us that hiking the prices would check activities of smugglers. He would tell us that only consumers in Lagos and Abuja are protected by the current pricing mechanism as the products sell for much more in other parts of the country. He would suggest that only the rich benefit from the subsidy. Labaran and his soul mates, Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe, would argue that the pains arising from the removal would be soothed by a number of measures to be put in place and that SURE-P would be strengthened.

    It is obvious that the federal government is set to remove the subsidy. Whether it succeeds depends on the people. A massive point was made by the protests that rocked Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, among other cities last year. The civil society groups that organized that should begin to mobilize Nigerians across the strata again. If the government is not tired of anti-peoples’ moves, the public should not be tired of rising against such unpopular measures. It should be noted that the government and security forces would have learnt some lessons from their least performance, but so should we, the people of Nigeria. We cannot afford to allow one organisation take sole charge; neither should the movement be restricted to a few cities. This time, even the rural folks should be brought on board.

    This is certainly one oppression too many.