Politics

Political Intrigues Of Subsidy Removal

Published

14 years ago

January 23, 2012

In the past, several

attempts have been made to deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry and this date back to the military era in the governance of Nigeria.

The former military President, General Ibrahim Badamesi Babaginda in 1986 engaged Nigerians in an elaborate debate over proposal for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan and the deregulation of the Petroleum Sector. The debate coordinated by the then Minister of Finance Kalu Idika Kalu generated interest among Nigerians as they argued for and against the intention of the government.

Like the President Goodluck Jonathan’s New Year’s gift to Nigerians, the idea which was absolutely rejected by majority of Nigerians inspite of government’s persuasion. Unfortunately the nationwide disapproval could not stop the Federal government from accessing the loan while the heat on deregulation defiled the Khaki, boot and gun to subsist with resultant increase in the pump price of petroleum products.

That was the scenario by successive administrations and even the born again democratic Olusegun Obasanjo merely settled for an increase in the pump price until the advent of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who took the bull by the horn and on January 1,2012; announced the total removal of petroleum subsidy.

As expected the pronouncement made the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to issue an ultimatum to the Federal government to revert to the old pump price regime of N65,00 per litre or face industrial dispute beginning from January 9.

The Federal government quickly constituted the Alfa Belgore Committee to dialogue with the organised labour in addition to a court injunction to stop the strike, but Labour leaders ignored the moves and went ahead with the strike which paralysed economic activities throughout the country for one week, putting government business to a halt.

However, Nigerians expressed mixed feelings over the large heart of the president in venturing to tread where others scared particularly coming after his speech at the Inter denominational service organized to mark the nation’s 51st independence anniversary at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, in October 2011.

President Jonathan told Nigerians, who had been expecting more drastic measures in the process of addressing the nation’s numerous problems such as the insecurity challenges posed by the Boko Haram religious sect to hold their breadth.

According to him, “some Nigerians still want the president to be a lion or a tiger; somebody that has that kind of strength, force and agility to make things happen the way they think. Some others will want the President to operate like an army general, like Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops.

Incidentally, I’m not a lion; I’m also not a general. Somebody will want the president to operate like the Kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt and King Pharaoh – all powerful people that we all read about in the Bible”.

Surprisely, President Jonathan mustered enough political sagacity to announce subsidy removal that ultimately took the organised labour and civil society organisations to the streets to protest the action of the government.

Sensing that politicians had hijacked the process to vent their political misfortune on the ruling government, the organized labour leaders demonstrated their commitment to the corporate existence of Nigeria by accepting to engage the authorities in further dialogue with the pegging of pump price of petrol at N97 per litre from the deregulated pump price of N141.00 per litre. The one week national strike adversely affected every sector of the Nigerian society hampering all forms of business transactions.

President Jonathan acted in the best interest of the nation but what was probably lacking in the subsidy issue was the timing of the implementation of the policy as enough sensitisation had not taken place. This is exemplified in his broadcast to the nation on Saturday January 7, when he announced 25 per cent cut in the salaries of government officials including his in addition to reduction in the number of oversea travels.

As a show of patriotism, and the zeal to make a difference in the governance of the country must have motivated him as well as the need to fulfil his electioneering campaign promises, to the people when he said “we must act in the public interest no matter how tough, for the pains of today cannot be compared to the benefit of tomorrow”.

Realizing that the continued subsidy regime, was benefitting a few rich persons to the detriment of the common people with the attendant paucity of resources to provide essential basic infrastructure in the critical sectors of power, health, education, transport and so on, the president introduced palliatives to cushion the effect of the stark realities of the policy direction in repositioning the country for growth.

President Jonathan, being the first Niger Delta indigene to occupy such exalted office has vowed not to disappoint the region, the party and indeed Nigerians for electing him in April 2011.

Analyst believe that no political party as presently constituted in Nigeria is capable of giving the people a new lease of life if the current high level of corruption, insecurity and ethnic milieu continue to play out. The promised land Nigerians longed for will remain elusive, a mere mirage, unless the unity that has kept us together is incontrovertibly expressed in action.

History does not only teach about past events, it equally teaches that at every key moment in life, people must rise to position their collective destiny in proper perspective.

It is often said that a day makes a difference in politics and the agents of anarchy having failed to use the subsidy removal protest to destabilise the nation, have resumed the bombing and killing of innocent Nigerians.

No doubt, the insecurity created by the activities of Boko Haram religious sect is perilous, perfidious and dangerously bringing Nigeria close to disintegration if nothing is done fast. The rising incidents of religious intolerance and inter ethnic hatred as well as discrimination have challenged the age long notion that Nigeria is a united, multi-religious, multi ethnic and multi cultural country enjoying unity in diversity.

There is no gainsaying the fact that no nation can advance economically and politically on the platform of instability. President Jonathan in reacting to the several bombings in the country, promise that the perpetrators would be brought to book but he appears to be helpless when he admitted that members of the Boko Haram sect had infiltrated his government. Consequently, the escape of top Boko Haram suspect, Kabir Sokoto alleged to be the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing in St Theresa’s Catholic Church Madalla, Niger State from Police detention collaborates the President’s position.

It is alleged that those against Jonathan’s Presidency are seriously at work doing all within their reach to create disaffection. The President did not realise the move when his first proposal for a single tenure term to reduce cost and crisis associated with second tenure described largely as selfish and self-serving in some quarters and no sooner the idea was tabled in public domain than it was put in the cooler.

The proposed constitutional review before the National Assembly is another issue attracting wide and divergent views. They include those calling for sovereign national conference, true fiscal federalism, constitutional reform, ethnic nationality conference and even a Referendum – irked by the menace of Boko Haram activities, the National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum Alhaji Yerima Shettima on Wednesday last week blamed the “Northern oligarchy” for the recurring cases of Boko Haram and called for an urgent convocation of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to avoid disintegration of the country.

Obviously, the sentiments expressed by the Northern Youth Leader confirms the agitation of the Niger Delta people in calling for a fiscal federalism and the holding of a sovereign national conference of all ethnic nationalities as the panacea to the problems of Nigeria because it would afford everyone the opportunity to state the terms of coming together as a nation.

Politics

Senate Urges Tinubu To Sack CAC Boss

Published

6 hours ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Senate yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, over what lawmakers described as a persistent refusal to appear before its Committee on Finance.

The resolution followed a motion raised by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu during a session where members of the President’s economic team were present for engagement with the committee.

Tension rose at the commencement of the meeting when agency heads were introduced and senators observed the absence of the CAC Registrar-General, who had been invited to account for the commission’s activities, particularly on revenue matters.

Moving the motion, Kalu expressed anger over what he termed repeated disregard for legislative oversight, accusing the CAC boss of consistently avoiding invitations to appear before the committee.

He said, “Since I came to the Senate, this CAC man has always given excuses that he is in the Villa or going to London. He is not above the law. This man is not coming to the Senate. Look at the ministers of finance and budget. They are both here. We summoned them and they came.

“But this man thinks he’s bigger than the Senate. We’re not going to take that rubbish again. He had refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee. We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.

“I move a motion that the man should be reported to Mr President and ask for immediate removal because we cannot continue with him. Is that what we’re doing here? He should come and give us an account of what he had done.”

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, corroborated the concerns, pointing to unresolved discrepancies in the reconciliation of the commission’s revenues.

He noted that despite several invitations, the registrar-general had failed to show up to address the issues raised by senators.

“The registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused on so many occasions to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee.

“There are only about three committees that are in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Committee of Finance is one of those committees. Sections 88, and 89 have given us these powers.

“And as registrar-general, we have issues with the reconciliation of their revenue. Anytime he is invited, he will give us one reason or another, and he will send junior officers to come and talk to the Senate. That cannot be accepted,” he said.

In a further show of frustration, Senator Adams Oshiomhole proposed that the Senate escalate the matter by withholding approval of the CAC’s 2026 budget pending the registrar-general’s personal appearance before the committee.

Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval of the national assembly.

“This senate should decline to appropriate anything in the 2026 budget until we are satisfied that he has accounted for previous money and spending properly.

“And should he spend money that is not appropriated, he should be heading to Kuje prison,” Oshiomhole said.

The motion urging the President to remove the CAC Registrar-General was subsequently put to a voice vote and adopted.

The development underscores renewed assertiveness by the Senate in exercising its constitutional oversight functions, particularly over revenue-generating agencies.

The Corporate Affairs Commission, which regulates companies and business registrations in Nigeria, is a key contributor to non-oil revenue, making accountability and transparency central to its operations.

News

Amend Constitution To Accommodate State Police, Tinubu Tells Senators

Published

6 hours ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police to tackle insecurity nationwide.

President Tinubu made the appeal during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

The president said that the creation of State Police has become urgent to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, strengthen grassroots policing, and enhance states’ capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.

He noted that a decentralised policing structure would complement existing federal security architecture and promote intelligence-led, community-focused law enforcement.

“We are facing terrorism, banditry, and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response to this cause. What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the State Police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear,” he said.

The president commended the cordial relationship between the Executive and the Senate, saying that unity is needed to defeat terrorism and banditry in the country.

“It is a good thing that we are working in harmony, we are looking forward to a country that evolves, a country that takes care of its citizens and protects all.

Tinubu thanked the Senate for its unflinching support towards achieving various economic reforms of his administration, especially the fuel subsidy removal and tax reform policy.

“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together. What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.

You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud, and I am glad you are. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me,” the president said.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the president for hosting the leadership of the Senate to the Interfaith breaking of fast.

He commended President Tinubu for providing the visionary leadership the nation needs at this critical time, stating that the administration’s bold reforms have now brought more revenue to governors at the sub-national level for the development of critical infrastructure.

The Senate President prayed for the administration, and for the nation’s peace and prosperity.

Politics

FCT COUNCILS’ ELECTIONS: PDP WINS GWAGWALADA CHAIRMANSHIP AS APC SECURES AMAC, BWARI

Published

4 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.

Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.

Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.

“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.

“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.

Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.

Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.

“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.

According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.

The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.

INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.

According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.

A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.

In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.

In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.

In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.

In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.

In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.