Pain:

As soon as you check out from your drain pipe accommodation in the UK.

Dat was not the question, and are u homeless?

ositadima1:

Bliss4Lyf such a hare head  **shakes head**

Osita rabbit head smh.

texazzpete:

Using statistics and words on paper alone to drive decisions alone is foolish. Afterall, logically it would greatly improve the standard of living of Nigerians if we use nerve gas to Kill 110 million people, leaving only 40 million mouths to feed. Does that mean it would be the right decision?

Quote of the day for me. TP just made my day, while driving home some real truths.

ekt_bear:

BTW, lest anyone try to tribalize this. . .

There are several other prominent companies (including Capital Oil) who also make money from the fuel subsidy.

Everyone enjoys making money, regardless of tribe. So let's not use this to say that one group is holy and another is not.

Posting a shallow write up by the Economist does not mean Nigerians after to accept this removal of subsidy. The real problem is corruption in the oil industry which GEJ is afraid to tackle. Even the Economist article that you referenced also pointed this out:

"The subsidies also highlight the tortuous ways of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has deliberately overestimated the cost of importing refined products and then pockets what is left over."

Why is GEJ and Okonjo-Iweala pushing the cost of corruption on innocent Nigerians? Can't they go after the real culprits?

The N1.4 trillion spending quoted by Iweala is bogus. Most sane people know that the figure is inflated by crooked Oil marketers in conjunction with corrupt Govt officials.

^^ Very silly indeed. Grow up, misery.

Bliss4Lyf, why did u leave the kitchen!

*JONATHAN AND REMOVAL OF
FUEL SUBSIDY- NO GOOD CARE
FOR THE POOR MASSES.*
If I may say, our past
governments and Jonathan
have not shown much love to
the poor masses but a
camouflage, unlike in some
countries were the
government is trying to make
the rich and the poor alike. Some
years ago,
CNN correspondents went to
China to hear from the poor but
opinion of those
thought to be poor are not
because they said that
government cares for them.
According to Finance Minister,
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the fuel
subsidy is
actually benefited by a wealthy
few. The actual amount for PMS
is about *N*139
and then the government pays
up *N*74 to let the price fall to
*N*65. The *N
*74 is the amount paid by the
government as subsidy. Now, if
the subsidy is
removed, will the wealthy few
still enjoy this money? Yes of
course. They
will still sell their products at
*N*139, but this time, the
masses will
pay the money. Even if the PMS
rise to *N*160 or down to
*N*110, the
wealthy few will still make the
money and have their way.
The government, in an attempt
to have a win on its decision to
remove the
fuel subsidy has gone as far as
spending a whopping sum on
those who are
seen as a threat to its decision.
But there are many others who
are ready
to give their lives than allow this
removal of fuel subsidy.
*DANGERS THAT CAN ERUPT FROM
THIS REMOVAL OF FUELL
SUBSIDY*
*1. Fixed Income Recipients like
Civil Servants and Others will be
Hurt.*
Because while the price inflation
increases, their income doesn’t
increase,
therefore their income will have
less value. Because the price of
fuel has
increased, invariably the cost of
transportation, the prices of
goods and
services will increase too. Then
who will suffer this? The civil
servants
and some others in private
sectors suffer it because their
salaries remain
the same. Unless the President,
Governors, Private Sector will
promise
increment in the salaries of civil
servants and other workers in
private
sector. But if that is done, there
may be risk of monetary
inflation (i.e.
when there is a rise in the
quantity of money in an
economy).
*2. Risk of Inflation.*
Inflation hurts economy,
individuals and companies alike.
The pin-point
here is basically the price
inflation(i.e. when there is a rise
in the
general level of prices of goods
and services). Because the price
of fuel
has increased the cost of
transportation, the prices of
goods and services
will increase too. If the cost of
transportations, prices of goods
and
services increase, my fellow
Nigerians who will suffer this, if
not the
poor masses. It is time to bridge
the gap between the rich and
the poor in
this our noble country.
*3. Fear of Embezzlement,
Dishonesty, Mismanagement,
and Instability in
Government.*
The poor masses cannot trust
the government any longer
because the past
governments have raped their
trust. The people see the
government and the
politicians as embezzlers and
empirically I think this is true.
How can we
trust you now my President if
you will not follow their
footsteps? You have
to prove otherwise to the poor
masses before they can trust
the government
and politicians again. You might
be honest but what about other
government
officials, politicians who will
manage the proceeds from this?
*4. Eruption of Autocratic
Government*
The government is inviting the
spirit of Arab Springs with its
dogmatic
decision. In Nigeria, we practice
democracy, which was defined
by Abraham
Lincoln as the government of
the people, by the people and
for the people.
If the majority of the masses are
against this removal of fuel
subsidy why
should the government go on to
uphold it. Mr. President, the
masses employ
you to be there and work for
them. You are a ‘servant’ and
the masses are
the ‘employer’ as rightly pointed
out by late President Yar’adua.
We
elected you for our own
benefits. Do not alone decide for
us but we all
decide for ourselves for
common good. Our government
shouldn’t be
autocratic in policy but seek the
opinion of the masses in its
decision
making. This is clear evidence
that autocratic government is
cropping up in
Nigeria to rape our democratic
government. My fellow
Nigerians, let us say
no to this eruption.
*5. The Mind of the Initiators*
My president, what do you think
were in the mind of these noble
fuel
subsidy initiators? Don’t you
think it may be a way of helping
& showing
good care & love to the poor &
less privileged? Don’t you think
it’s a way
for the Nigerians to enjoy this
God’s gift of crude oil & other
natural
resources in our noble country,
which are not only to be
enjoyed by the
cartels & cabals. This is a country
where we have great
unemployment .A
person you went to school with
is been paid in millions because
he or she
has his or her way to the
government, while his or her
mates who are out
there unemployed even with
better results have nothing
doing. There is need
to revisit the past & know the
cause of things. The beginners
have
something in mind when
initiating this noble fuel subsidy.
Until we
transcend that stage, I don’t
think it is just to remove it now.
*6. Discouragement of the
Investors and Savings*
Many investors may be scared
to invest in Nigeria. Many
companies will have
to go out of business because
of the losses they may incur
during this
inflation and its effects. There
might be investors in area like
refinery
but what about other areas.
When many companies go out
of business,
unemployment will increase.
This is incomparable with
employment of the
prospective refineries by
investors. If it will work because
there are
insecurity, power failure, less
infrastructures etc. to welcome
and
accommodate these investors.
Saving money in the banks or
anywhere is
negatively effected and
discouraged because saving
money would mean
watching your cash decrease in
value day after day, so people
may tend to
spend the cash on something
else. The central bank and other
banks will
loss likewise.
*7. Our Value of Money in
Danger*
The increase in the price of fuel
brings increase in the prices of
goods
and services. This brings price
inflation thereby low value of
money is one
its negative effects.
*8. Currency Debasement and
Rising Prices of Imports*
When there is low value of
money and other negative
effects from this
inflation, it lowers the value of
our currency. If the currency is
debased,
then naira purchasing power in
the international market is
lower.
*POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES.*
Why subsidy removal? Because
the government is trying to
liberalized the
market fire. I believe a
reasonable government will try
work on the system
before putting the load on the
innocent masses that are
already drowning in
poverty as a result of bad
government. I think the possible
thing to do is
to build refinery in 6 geo-
political zones. Think about
repairing our
refineries and stopping
importation of fuels since we
have these natural
resources in our country. Then
the poor masses may not feel
the pains of
fuel subsidy removal. The most
of what Jonathan was
promising to do with
the extra oil revenue were
already accommodated in the
budget even without
subsidy.
The government should engage
themselves in cutting down the
salaries,
allowances and other running
expenses of the top
government officials
especially the lawmakers from
the federal to the local
government. Imagine
a lawmaker going home with
more than *N*255,000,000 and
*N*224,000,000
yearly. Then you can calculate
this for a tenure(4yrs) or two
tenures(8yrs)
and multiply it with their
numbers(i.e. 109 senators& 306
house of
representatives) and see our
country’s trillions of naira in the
cartel’s
pockets while the poor masses
continue to suffer. The
government has no
plan or future for the poor
masses. Governor of Central
Bank, Sanusi Lamido
had last year said that
lawmakers consume 25 percent
of Nigeria overhead
budget.
According to Olusegun Mimiko,
the Governor of Ondo State,
Nigeria spends
about *N*24.5 trillion yearly
which is about $160 billions in
importation
of food. We have land
resources, human resources but
the government does
not care to utilize these to help
the poor masses. They only
inflict pains
on the masses by trying to
remove fuel subsidy. The
president should ask
himself this question “what if
there is no crude oil in Nigeria?”
The
biggest problem of our country
is not subsidy but corruption. If
the
president can deal with this
corruption especially among
politicians,
cartels, cabals and individuals,
he will surely have a lot of fund
to move
this noble country to a greater
height.
There is insecurity in the
country. Does this not occur to
the president
that it is effects of
unemployment of these
promising youths in the
country? Blessed are those who
know the cause of things
because cause has
effects. Instead of our
lawmakers debating on the
causes of the present
situation in our country and see
solution to it. They sat and
discussed
about the same-sex marriage
(gay) issue which has nothing
to do with African
Culture. The lawmakers should
have known that this cannot
work in Nigeria
because African moral values
and culture has no place for it. It
is a
deadly virus from the Western
World. My President and the
lawmakers, please
there are other issues to discuss
that is brutally effecting the
nation
like insecurity, unemployment,
corruption, electricity etc.
Finally, there are many ways to
better our economy and the
lives of the
people. The money to set-up
infrastructures, companies,
refineries etc must
not come from the proceeds of
fuel subsidy but can come
through other
means. Yes the removal of fuel
subsidy has its positives effects
but I
think it is not yet time to
remove it my president. Think
about the fate of
the poor people of Nigeria, think
about us the unemployed
youths. Where do
we get the money to buy goods
and services especially fuel if
the subsidy
is removed. Thanks
*OKAFOR KENNETH*
*Kenitho27@gmail.com*
<Kenitho27@gmail.com>
*08063457763*
*20 ST MICHEAL STR. ABAGANA,
P.O. BOX 243 ABAGANA,
ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA*