Political Intrigues Of Subsidy Removal

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.