President Goodluck Jonathan has denied ever saying the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme has been abandoned. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president said there had been “deliberate misrepresentation” of his comments at the 58th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held on February 20.

He had said the programme was predicated on a policy of full deregulation as stated in the SURE document released to the public but was no longer feasible as a result of partial deregulation.

The President said his transparency should be commended rather than shut down. He regretted that it had become the pasttime of political pundits to undermine any good policy initiative of government.

The statement reads in part: “As has become the pattern by some political pundits whose definition of opposition is to undermine any good policy initiative of the Federal Government, there has been a deliberate misrepresentation of the comments by President Goodluck Jonathan at the 58th National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on 20 February 2012 on the issue of reviewing the SURE programme.”
“Hence, it has been alleged that the Federal Government has abandoned or is attempting to “truncate” the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme.

“At no time did President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan say the Federal Government had abandoned the SURE programme. What he said in his opening remarks at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week, was that the full implementation of government’s palliatives to cushion the negative effects of the fuel subsidy removal as contained in the original SURE programme, was no longer feasible and will be reviewed in view of the partial, rather than full removal of the subsidy on petrol.

“The SURE Programme was predicated on a policy of FULL deregulation as stated in the SURE document released to the general public (Please see http:///7qczjeo). However, due to widely publicised events after the commencement of full deregulation, the government, after a series of negotiations with organised labour, reduced the pump price of petrol. It, therefore, follows that the funds that were expected to accrue from full deregulation will no longer accrue since the policy of full deregulation was stepped down for the time being.
“This new reality informed the president’s directive that the original SURE programme documents already circulated to the public, be withdrawn in order not to give the public false expectations.

“The SURE programme HAS NOT been cancelled. What President Goodluck Jonathan said at the 58th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is as follows: ‘We developed this with the expectation that we were going to completely deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry, (after) the 100 per cent removal of subsidy. , We couldn’t achieve that though there was an increase in the price. I don’t want this to be distributed; it will give a wrong impression.’
“These comments only show that President Jonathan is being transparent with the public rather than offer them unrealistic expectations.”

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/feb/28/national-28-02-2012-0025.html

victorazy:

President Goodluck Jonathan has denied ever saying the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme has been abandoned. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president said there had been “deliberate misrepresentation” of his comments at the 58th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held on February 20.

He had said the programme was predicated on a policy of full deregulation as stated in the SURE document released to the public but was no longer feasible as a result of partial deregulation.

The President said his transparency should be commended rather than shut down. He regretted that it had become the pasttime of political pundits to undermine any good policy initiative of government.

The statement reads in part: “As has become the pattern by some political pundits whose definition of opposition is to undermine any good policy initiative of the Federal Government, there has been a deliberate misrepresentation of the comments by President Goodluck Jonathan at the 58th National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on 20 February 2012 on the issue of reviewing the SURE programme.”
“Hence, it has been alleged that the Federal Government has abandoned or is attempting to “truncate” the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) programme.

“At no time did President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan say the Federal Government had abandoned the SURE programme. What he said in his opening remarks at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week, was that the full implementation of government’s palliatives to cushion the negative effects of the fuel subsidy removal as contained in the original SURE programme, was no longer feasible and will be reviewed in view of the partial, rather than full removal of the subsidy on petrol.

“The SURE Programme was predicated on a policy of FULL deregulation as stated in the SURE document released to the general public (Please see http:///7qczjeo). However, due to widely publicised events after the commencement of full deregulation, the government, after a series of negotiations with organised labour, reduced the pump price of petrol. It, therefore, follows that the funds that were expected to accrue from full deregulation will no longer accrue since the policy of full deregulation was stepped down for the time being.
“This new reality informed the president’s directive that the original SURE programme documents already circulated to the public, be withdrawn in order not to give the public false expectations.

“The SURE programme HAS NOT been cancelled. What President Goodluck Jonathan said at the 58th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is as follows: ‘We developed this with the expectation that we were going to completely deregulate the downstream sector of the oil industry, (after) the 100 per cent removal of subsidy. , We couldn’t achieve that though there was an increase in the price. I don’t want this to be distributed; it will give a wrong impression.’
“These comments only show that President Jonathan is being transparent with the public rather than offer them unrealistic expectations.”

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/feb/28/national-28-02-2012-0025.html

And how long will it take to draft a new document? When will implementation of the new document start? These are the questions that GEJ should be answering, or is it part of the 2015 Campaign??

Yeye president, so you use it as grapevine to feel the people's pulse

who is double faced, mouth called abati self?

Nigeria! Everybody is just saying and doing what he or she likes.Today we hear something, tomorrow we hear another.

It has not been cancelled bt what?not using sth again cos of deficit amounts to it been cancelled.na grammar de do ds ppl.2months don de pas we neva see any development o.instead fuel scarcity n hike ful everywr.i visited calabar n bought fuel at 150/litre, F, UC.K ME

mkmyers45:

And how long will it take to draft a new document? When will implementation of the new document start? These are the questions that GEJ should be answering, or is it part of the 2015 Campaign??

WISE words from a descent man.