The immediate past Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, has said the proposed removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government is not the permanent solution to the problems in the oil sector as long as there is no effort to refine and distribute the products within the country.


He rejected the argument that the removal of the subsidy would guarantee the Federal Government more funds for capital projects.


Ogunshola contended that the public, particularly the media, had yet to put the instrument of the Freedom of Information Act to the best use, saying many issues were still being reported superficially.


He spoke on Monday in Lagos during a reception in his honour by the Management of the News Agency of Nigeria in recognition of his contribution to journalism in Nigeria.


Ogunshola’s membership of the board was premised on his status then as President of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria.


Ogunshola also clarified his membership of the NAN board, saying he had hesitated to accept the appointment when he was called upon.


He insisted that the proposed fuel subsidy removal would only yield more funds for the government temporarily.


He said the intended gain of having more money would only be temporary as long as government was still importing petroleum products and the country’s currency continued to fall against foreign currencies, particularly the dollar.


Dismissing the claim of some people that there was no fuel subsidy, he said if the government was bent on removing the subsidy, half of the money saved from the removal should be given back to the public by reducing taxes, such as the Value-Added Tax, Personal Income Tax and partly Company Tax.


According to him, the Federal Government can pursue the fuel subsidy removal, if it will rapidly develop the petroleum distribution and refining in the country which he said was realisable within a year.


Ogunshola said, “If it is because they want more money to spend, then the problem will reccur at another time as long as we continue to import; as long as the Naira falls against dollar.


“If it is to as rapidly as possible get out of petroleum distribution and refining, this can be done within one year. I will commend it and argue for it as long as the government liberalises the importation of petroleum products. The price will initially go up, but it will soon come back to normal.”


On the call on various state governments to domesticate the FoI Act for it to come to effect at state levels, Ogunshola, who said he had widely consulted senior lawyers, said the Act, being a federal legislation, was binding on all state governments, even if they had yet to domesticate it.


He said, “Considering the amount of effort we put for the FoI to be enacted and considering the potential the usefulness of it to the quality in promoting good governance, it does not appear, to me, that sufficient use is being made of it by the public.


“I appeal to the general public and the press, in particular, to make better use of the Act.”


The Publisher of ThisDay Newspapers and President of the NPAN, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, said various government agencies were currently receiving applications seeking to have one piece of information or the other on the strength of the FoI Act.


Obaigbena said, “To be fair, I believe the government may have been inaundated with various applications. We have had a series of meetings with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, on how to work out modalities with the civil servants to be responding to those requests.”


Earlier, in their opening remarks, the Acting Chairman of the Board of NAN, Mohammed Haruna, and the Managing Director of the agency, Mrs. Remi Oyo, stressed the essence of the event, commending Ogunshola for accepting to serve on the agency’s board and for his input towards the development of journalism in the country at large.


Also in attendance were, the Chairman, Punch Nigeria Limited, and the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of Punch, Messrs Adewale Aboderin and Ademola Osinubi, respectively.


Others were, the Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Sam Aboka, Editor-in-Chief, NAN, Mr. Dele Ogbebe; and Mallam Garba Mamu of the Nigerian Television Authority, among others.

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