The town crier made the announcement but I barely heard. I think it was one of those times I was trying to get something to eat or when I was trying to buy a bottle of deregulation. I thought it was an alternative to palm-oil. What then is deregulation, when it has been over flogged beyond recognition?
There were so many roars at the other end; I rushed to catch a glimpse of the obviously exciting spectacle. Behold it was subsidy that was on trial for what it had not yet done. He was charged with being a good and bad man at the same time and there were many plaintiff and defendant lawyers, and there were many judges and citizens in the town hall. The clerk was the egberipapa of newspaper, the chairman of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Nduka Obaigbena 1.I almost didn’t recognize him, and his tummy had increased again. The last time I heard, he travelled abroad to drain some of the deregulation in his tummy. He had obviously been taking too much of deregulation again.
I didn’t catch much of the trial unfortunately; it was Olisa Agbakoba, the one who used to koba previous governments that had just finished speaking. I was able to listen to Oshiomole-the comradic one, Isa Aremu,Nigeria labour Congress Vice-president, Ben Bruce, the one who is most capable of every form of pageantry,coquetry,artristry and theatrics. Femi Falana, Ngozi, Sanusi, Diezani were also there. If you see the look on subsidy’s face? You would pity him.
The question was in whose interest is subsidy removal? Isa Aremu made a position for the masses, vigorously explaining that removal of subsidy would cause prices of household items to increase thereby making life difficult for poor Nigerians. Diezani pleaded for the removal to enable government divert the money into other areas with infrastructure deficit.Sanusi lauded Falana for their activism antecedents in school and Ben Bruce made a case for the poor. It would have been a good one, except that it was one of the links in a chain of public relations efforts to provide appeal and acceptance for subsidy removal. Christine Lagarde, president of IMF was in Nigeria to laud the transformation agenda and the town hall meeting was just sequel to that. The actors in this game have constructed their symbols very well; it’s left for us to understand them. They have successfully made a case for removal of subsidy, by reminding us of happenings in Greece. Sanusi said what we are seeing in Greece, may be a child’s play, if we don’t remove subsidy. Its possible.But, he who cannot handle little, can he handle much? What has happened to the lifeline given to other sectors? What happened to the billions of naira in the poverty alleviation programmes, the small and medium scale enterprises programme, and the power sector programme which gulped an untraceable 16billion dollar?
They made a case for the current trust deficit and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala asked Nigerians to trust them. I am forced to ask, what about recurrent expenditure? Why would Jonathan take over 120 people for the commonwealth summit amidst the lack they are emphasizing? Many nationals who come home to serve in places like India don’t get as much as Okonjo is getting.Okonjo was paid in dollars before she left the Obasanjo administration. Sanusi even confessed he doesn’t buy fuel. Amidst the subsidy debate, Jonathan appointed new special advisers. The short of the whole thing is that the three tiers of government are amassing much of our resources. Resources meant for all. It is the three tiers whose subsidy should be removed, not the subsidy on petroleum. The Nigerian case is not peculiar. Many countries including Brazil and China mandated their national oil firms to subsidize fuel for their citizens.
The most disappointing part of the event was when Sanusi said there is a cabal that is core to the gross inefficiency of the subsidy arrangement. What happened to law enforcement? What happened to auditing firms who are complicit in the doctoring of the books? Why has anyone not been charged? The question is that of corruption. If government cannot face the subsidy thieving cabal, then they cannot face the cabal that would be created in the areas they intend to channel the money. Because any fund, opportunity or programme gives birth to a cabal.Dimeji Bankole is enjoying himself, Akala is comfortable, and Tony Anenih whose ministry could not account for over 300billion is a godfather in Edo state. Chief Obasanjo whose name alongside many other influential people was mentioned in the Halliburton scandal is waxing stronger. Then you expect us to trust you with subsidy money? NO! If corruption is not addressed, the subsidy removal would not translate to any meaningful development. It would only be enjoyed by the new cabal.
If government goes against the wishes of the masses, then the materialist position of Karl Marx which says that social consciousness is determined by material condition’s would be activated and gradually reinforced. More youths would go into cyber-crimes, prostitution, stealing, robbery and many old people would die untimely because their children won’t be able to take care of their medical bills. The seed for a revolution would be sown. They (our leaders) should not think that a revolution is not possible. It would only come gradually.
Nduka Obaigbena has violated public trust in the journalism profession openly taking sides with the federal government. I don’t think he remembers that the press should be socially responsible to the society. His role should be that of an unbiased empire. He has obviously deployed his machinery to help Oshiomole campaign; help Ben Bruce display his theatrics while patronizing the poor.Obaigbena just violated the trust of the masses in the press by using the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria Platform to promote an unpopular policy that has been made an infallible dogma by Jonathan.
NIGERIAN YOUTHS, LETS SAY NO TO SUBSIDY REMOVAL.IT WOULD ONLY GIVE THEM MORE MONEY FOR THEIR HOLIDAYS, PATRONAGE AND PERPETUATION OF SYCHOPHANCY.
LONG LIVE NIGERIA
LONG LIVE THE STRUGGLE
