Convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and vice presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, has expressed confidence that the mass protest against the removal of fuel subsidy will continue until the President Goodluck Jonathan government reverts N65 as price of a litre of petrol.

His confidence is anchored on the enthusiasm of Nigerians and their response to the call to resist the removal of fuel subsidy.
Bakare told Saturday Sun that the protest has taken a life of its own and therefore, would not fizzle out like other protests before it. He pointed out that the people attending the mass rally on daily basis, since last Monday, are not being paid to do so. Also, he said, musicians are not paid to perform at the rallies, adding that the SNG is not spending much to organize the rally holding daily at Ojota, Lagos.
He warned that angry Nigerians may move to the next stage of the protest, which he described as occupying Nigeria, if the government does not recant, although he did not elaborate on what this would entail.
The pastor lambasted the Jonathan administration and called for a revolution.
Excerpts:

From what we see, it appears that you have resurrected the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) to fight the removal of oil subsidy?
Well, Save Nigeria Group was never in a coma. It did not die at any time. It is an umbrella organisation with so many interest groups. There are many groups involved, such as civil society groups. But when politics began and we knew it was time for people to canvass for votes and join political parties, we did not want to create tension within the SNG family. We allowed every person to join political parties of their choice and vote for the candidates of their choice. We told those who wanted to be voted for to go for it, but not to use the platform of SNG to do that because it is not a political party.
Between the time of politics and after, we have met several times to look at various things and how to contribute under the SNG, because Nigeria is yet to be saved. So, it has never been in coma and we did not resuscitate just for fuel subsidy removal. The subsidy removal was a tipping point of the decay that has happened because of inept and corrupt leadership, in Nigeria.

What’s the position of your party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), on the fuel subsidy removal?
As a party, the CPC has spoken. The leadership has spoken and the spokesman for the party has spoken. The CPC as a party is against subsidy removal because, in real sense, subsidy is not for the purpose of subsidising cost of production but alternative cost of importation. The licences were granted for the purposes of political patronages and they know how they are sharing the money. Now that they have looted the national treasury, without paying the money into the Federation Account, they have siphoned N1. 3 billion from the proceeds of oil and shared it among the fat cats in the petroleum industry and their cronies in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Now, they want Nigerians to pay the tax back to them, so that they can have something to run the government that is broke.

President Jonathan and his ministers are saying that removal of fuel subsidy is for the good of the country…
Yoruba people say “ Aki fi ori bibe se oogun efori (You don’t cut off your head because you have headache). It is wrong to say because you want to cure headache, you have to behead the people. This, to say the least, shows that indeed and in truth fat bellies don’t remember that such a thing, as hunger, exists. If he (Jonathan) remembers where he was coming from, he will not do this to the masses of our people. However good in the long run it may be, certain things have to precede it. In the first place, Jonathan touts transformation. There is no transformation without sacrifice. Romans chapter 12 says: “I beseech you by the Mercy of God that you present your bodies and you live in sacrifice.” It defines the living sacrifice as: “Good, acceptable, perfect will of God. That you be renewed in your mind, be transformed in your mind so that transformation can really take place.”
So, there is no sacrifice on the part of the leadership; there is no self-denial of any kind and in like manner, there is no change in mindset and you are talking of transformation. This is not transformation, but electrocution of the masses of our people. Look at the fat government they have. They have 50 ministries. They have several agencies of government, apart from ministries and several political special assistants. Look at the budget itself and look at what they are spending on food. This is a prodigal and wasteful government. Let them cut down their own excesses before they ask Nigerians to come and augment what they need or what must be provided by Nigerians.
Look at the looting of the treasury. Look at the group which had been in local governments and state governments. What they have stolen, if recovered is more than what they need to augment their budget. They should leave innocent Nigerians alone and not punish them any further.

Many criticise the opposition political parties for not coming up with viable alternative programme to deregulation. What do you think?
It is not true. General Muhammadu Buhari, on the floor of the Supreme Court, after the verdict on the election was given in the CPC versus PDP case, showed a blue print on the way forward. We are not only criticising them, we are also giving them a blue print. But, are they willing to borrow ideas? The one they want to quickly fix, through 25 per cent cut in their basic salary, was one of the ideas suggested by General Buhari, who has been oil minister, governor of six states put together, known as North Eastern State. He has been head of state of this country and how many former heads of states had counselled this young man called Jonathan?

How long can the revolt or protests of labour and other interest groups last, as experience has shown that after four or five days protests fizzle out in Nigeria?
Well, you can see that the protest is having a life of its own. We don’t call it revolt but a revolution. To revolt might look like revolution because the words are not different, but when it is a revolution, some people are saying that we have had enough of this. You can just revolt and go back, but we want a holistic approach to how government is run. We want good governance in our country. We want responsible and responsive leadership. We want transparency and accountability in governance. We want to hold them by the jugular vein and ask how much do we make from oil and how much does it cost to produce refined product in our country? Why are refineries producing under capacity or below capacity? They are producing just 21 per cent of the capacity. Where is the money you spend on turnaround maintenance all this while? Why are we a nation that is producing oil when our people are being punished? Why is Venezuela not exporting one drop of oil, except refined products? We cannot do it in our nation. What are the issues? That is number one.
The people are buying into it because they know it is not just fuel subsidy; it is a whole complex issues, including lack of competence on the side of leadership, capability or capacity and the issue of ravaging corruption in our land. It is a revolution and it has just begun. It will not fizzle out. You know why? Nobody is being given a penny to come. People are bringing their water from home, their lunch from home and they are waiting there, six or seven hours everyday. We are waiting for them to drag it too far, then we would occupy the nation.

How, Sir?
You will find out. We would keep that to ourselves. We would occupy the entire nation. We will.

Do we expect, as you did the other time, that protests will take place in Lagos, Kano, and Abuja?
We have deregulated the counter move. That is why you see some in Falomo today, some in Kaduna and some in Kano. It is now deregulated. If it happens that we can move faster, you will see that you will begin to see a new face of counter-move against an oppressive government all across our land. Since we have deregulated it; it is a lot easier for it to happen simultaneously in different places all at the same time.

It’s rumoured that the government may revert to N65 per litre. If this happened, what would be your next line of action?
If it turns out to be true that he would reverse the decision, it is just one out of several items. We are going to continue and we are going to channel our energy in different directions to make demands that are legitimate, that will create accountability in governance. Government must be responsive to the people, so that they do not talk to us like bullies with power.

What is the cost of the protests so far?
It is very minimal. There are security personnel that we hired and bottles of water for those who are on stage. No musician has been paid a penny; no TV station has taken a penny from us. We just paid for the equipment and the sound system.

What of the toll on the economy and the loss of lives?
We have not reacted to the killings because we want it to be peaceful. No revenge, no resentment, no rage and no reprisal. So, you will not see anybody from our group killing anybody. People that were shot were shot by the police and thank God for the Lagos State commissioner of police; the policeman who shot the person was quickly disarmed and locked up and would face prosecution. In all, I think in different places, about 10 or more lives were lost. It is regrettable. But a government that cannot protect its citizens is not fit to be in power. President Jonathan has said that Boko Haram has ravaged his government. Nobody should trust him with the security of this country.

Are you in touch with other groups, like NLC and human rights groups?
We are in touch with them. We are talking back and forth. They are doing the sit-tight in the house and we are doing the field operation. The SNG is working in collaboration with labour and we are in touch with their leadership constantly.

Is the presidency in touch with you?
The presidency doesn’t need to be in touch with me; they just have to do what is right.

What do you expect from government right now?
Minimally, I expect reversal to N65. If there is no public debate, no public policy can have legitimacy. The people of this country are entitled to know why they should have over 100 percent increase in pump price in the name of deregulation. Aviation fuel has not been regulated for a very long time. Diesel has been deregulated for the past seven years. Has the price dropped? So, it is a lie. The government is telling the people of this country a lie. We will confront them with facts and figures in the days to come.

Hoodlums, in some cases, are hijacking peaceful protests in many parts of the country…
Not in our case. Not in Ojota. It is unfortunate that it is happening elsewhere. Hoodlums are not hijacking what we are doing at all. In fact, some of the people you call area boys volunteered to serve. They know this battle is being fought in their own interest. If they say they are hoodlums, are they from Jupiter or from Mass? Are they not Nigerians citizens deprived of educational skill development? What job have you created for them that you are calling them hoodlums? I will not curse them, but I pray that what they have done to the children of other people in this nation does not happen to their children in their own life time. The money they have stolen to build the houses they are building, these hoodlums may attack them. It is better now to engage them and give them a future than calling them hoodlums. No Nigerian citizen has any better right than other Nigerian citizen. Mr. President has only one head and one vote and we know where he came from when he was without shoes. He should not make the entire nation to be without legs.

Is that why you talked of revolution?
It is revolution of values. We are not asking for a bloody revolution to kill anybody. It is a revolution of values that ensures that government exists for the welfare and benefit of the people.

How true is the position that some muslim organisations have also joined the protest?
They have been there all along; they spoke today (Wednesday). It is not just muslim organisations; you’ve just seen bikers, professional bikers who said they want to give their resources and their time and their know how to back what they are doing.

What values are they going to add to the protest?
Well, it is not just glamour; some of them are professionals and consultants. The SNG is a knowledge industry and we are going to gather their thought so that we can further help our nation. Nobody has monopoly of wisdom. Besides, we need a lot of resources to do a lot of what we are doing. No politician or any political party in Nigeria is sponsoring us.

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