₦airaland Forum

blacksta:
@Beaf

I have read the article - The truth about the article. Everything stated is already a known fact. Subsidy removal must go , we agree but timing must be right. You cant expect the nations to tigthen it belts whilst we observe government wastage everyday. Leaders must lead. How do you explain the yearly government office renovations - Beaf, do you buy furniture every year? or 1 billion allocated for feeding two families and may be somes guests.

If a governments acknowledges it cant deal with leakages - then it has no business leading. In the whole of Nigeria - Are you telling me we cant find indivduals or organisation who will man fuel import stations and provide government with actual figures.

So long as you agree that the subsidy had to go, I'm cool.
As for profligate spending in govt, I also agree.

nocad:
Ȋ̝̊̅†'s true and I saw for myself as for the oda poster asking if there's internet here, U̶̲̥̅̊ nid 2 reason again,witt bbservices everywere Ȋ̝̊̅†'s surprising one will say that,4 pple dead already and mean lookn soldiers already patrolling,cemetery road almost all shops are closed now,and an uneasy calm  Iڪ  seen.

That is so sad. May their souls rest in peace.
Sinking to the same level as boko haram is totally regretable.

blacksta:
Simple as abc

Rather than burden the masses - Tackle those who break the law. Who is bigger, the state or an individual.

A few who corrupt the system is not valid reason to remove subsidy.

Will the Uk government remove train subsidy if i have a free ticket printing machine at home.

It is obvious that you did not read the article, I can't understand why anyone would be too mentally lazy for something as fundamental as this:

You can do all this and no one can catch it or prove it because somebody was paid to sign off on docs. And with a high enough margin there is too much temptation to be resisted and firepower for bribing officials.

When I spoke to the house of reps I told them why I was suspecting fraud. It starts from PPPRA "allocations" based on "capacity". You will find a company like Mobil with capacity for say 60,000 MT and a relatively unknown name with a capacity of say 90k MT. Red alert number 1.

Although PPPRA is supposed to give license only to marketers with a national distribution network you see names of companies where u have never seen a filling station in their name. I was a chief risk officer in UBA and in FBN for many years approving loans so I know the name of every big player in every industry that nigerian banks lend to as these are among the biggest banks in the country. I see names on the list I don't recognise either from portfolios I looked at or industry studies over the years. Red alert number 2.

I studied the papers presented to PPPRA in a short period in 2010 (I won't tell u how I got them!). And I was surprised that on some days over 10 vessels are said to have discharged cargo in lagos on the same day-clearly the same officers stamping and "verifying" that the vessels were SEEN. Is it really realistic that on the same day 13-15 vessels can discharge in Lagos? Red alert number 3.

Why was I interested in fuel marketing. Because the two sectors that led to the near collapse of the banking industry were capital markets and oil marketing. I am not giving any confidential info out as AMCON MD has already disclosed publicly that two companies alone-zenon and AP-owned by the same businessman owed the nigerian banking industry N220b. And we all saw the amount of subsidy paid to those companies published by BusinessDay. So money had been taken, subsidy had been collected but loans were not repaid, and we couldn't see the money either as product in tank farms or in fuel stations or credit sales. So I became obsessed with trying to understand how that industry operated and the more I saw the more I hated it and I started the war against subsidies. It is actually better to do a direct cash payout or add a line item to salaries called petroleum support or transport allowance capped at say N 300b pa than to keep paying it. It goes to pay middle men, rent-seekers and corrupt officers and there is no amount of preaching that will stop this fraud so long as the policy is so badly defined. Everytime oil price goes up and everytime the naira is devalued and everytime the quantity of imports increases the "subsidy" and thus the "rent" increases and there is more gravy to go round. So every year we "import" more and more and deplete our reserves, and the government borrows more and more to pay for subsidy and the beneficiaries are a smal group of marketers, govt officials and neighbouring countries which get fuel without losing forex! And while a person who applies intelligence can see what is happening you can't prove it in a court of law. If the man says he sighted the vessel and it was 20kMT u have to accept it. It was a year ago!

I have always been against the fuel subsidy, but after reading what Sanusi has said, I actually now see the protesters as subversives and enemies of Nigeria.

I think Nigeria is going to lose the Niger Delta first, then the SE next.
The omens do not bode well.

[quote author=$ugardaddy link=topic=840145.msg9906896#msg9906896 date=1325851970]Good. A fight does not equate reprisals for bomb attacks. It's most likely an internal dispute among the moslems and the  Mosques's proximity to the market may have blown the fight out of proportion.
BTW, who needs reprisals?[/quote]Delta state people don't do things halfway. It is reprisals.
I wish they would not be so id!otic and I hope the tales of deaths are mere rumours.

Some help for simpletons with lies about groundnuts and rubber;

The Colonial Contest for the Nigerian Region 1884–1900: A history of German participation, by Olayemi Akinwumi.
Hamburg: LIT Verlag, Geschichte Band 43, 2002. 122 pp. €17.90 (paperback). ISBN 3-8258-6197

www.nairaland.com/attachments/325427_RoyalNigerCompany_gif09db473c05cd021e855c2fca46af01d2

[size=14pt]Palm oil, the main import of the Royal Niger Company!!!! LOLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!![/size]

Arkhin:
The op is up to some mischief by this thread because the arguement does not hold water. Before the discorvery of crude oil, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy was agriculture which was derived from cocoa, groundnut, timber, rubber, etc. Obviously these couldn't have come from from riverine areas. Whilst the nation was making money from the productivity of other regions, your people were busy eating fish in their huts. If not for all those sentimental fools that voted Retardeen and are now regretting, this wouldn't have happened.

There is no point in telling lies. Just google "oil rivers protectorate."
If you do that conscientiously, you will quickly find that palm oil is the reason Nigeria exists. The SE/SS have always been the mainstay of the Nigerian economy.

When you are done googling "oil rivers protectorate," turn you attention to googling "Royal Niger Company."

At the end of the exercise you would have learnt enough not to post trash and lies.

@engrbrume
Did you do primary school in Benin and live on the outskirts?

bodejohn: There is a big question on my mind while thinking about this subsidy issues. Like most Nigerians, I believe too that our economy cannot forever support subsidy on petroleum products the way it is been run by the GEJ govt. But I also believe that the spirit and passion of the removal is also completely wrong at this time considering the less than zero preparation of the government not to only cushion the effect but to provide alternatives to suffering Nigerians.
All these got me think and I found a big hole in the argument of govt. according to govt. sources some amount was budgeted for fuel subsidy last year but it was overpaid by about a trillion naira, that leaves the govt with some one trillion deficit.
But there is no amount budgeted for subsidy in this year's budget how is the govt expected to make savings? You can only make savings on what you have, how does okonjo iweala plan to make savings on what was not budgeted for?
Will the govt take what she used to pay back from the marketers? A quick answer to my mind confirms the fact that there was no subsidy in the first place. But not to live in my ignorance if that is the case, how does the govt plan to rake in savings of subsidy condering the fact that she will no longer monitor consumption. I need some answers please,

The money was borrowed, so govt saves by not borrowing and cutting down the budget deficit (gymers response is excellent).
Each year, govt has to borrow to finance the budget, cos the country is not generating enough money, yet we have to pay the NASS more than Obama. IMHO, that is what we should be protesting about. The country does not exist for them.

jay bee:
How glaring Mr Beaf?
What about the common sense possibility that the small business owners that rely on diesel to run their business couldn't afford to any more once the subsidy was removed

What about the possibility that the soaring cost of truck transportation in the building sector couldn't be contained coupled with the fact of squeeze in money market which in turn affected the once booming construction industry?

Dude, in the diesel consumption arena, small business owners are a micro-dot. What small business user can be compared to the likes of Nigerian Breweries for example? What that single company consumes in a day is what thousands of small users consume in a year.

The bit about trucks is guesswork, because Nigeria has kept recording growth in the construction industry.

The 50% drop in consumption of diesel after deregulation can only be attributed to a drop in fraud. By the time all this shakes through, there is sure to be an eye-popping drop in the fuckry that is reported as fuel consumption in Nigeria as well.

fork adict:
I almost vowed once not to ever respond to any post of yours as long as Nairaland exists because to me, you are the most fooooolish, most unreasonable and most disgusting creature on the planet. Your antecedent has always been to support on Nairaland any policy GEJ comes up with no matter how sensible or otherwise and to isult others that feel otherwise about such policies. Now going by your previous posts on this thread, you support both removal of fuel subsidy and the timing. But i have a few questions for you. I am prepared to reason with you if you prove to me to be a sensible person. And you can only prove that by answering each question as intelligently as you can. Please find beneath my queries:

You must think you are very important! LOLZZZ!!!!
There is a reason why people like you are obnoxious, I think you should find it out. The answer certainly does not have "Beaf" in it.

fork adict:
1. The government has acknowledged the existence of oil cabals and the corrupt practises (e.g round tripping, gross inflation of re-imbursements due to the oil marketers etc) in the downstream sector. Okonjo Iweala states that last year alone, government spent approximately N1.3 Trillion naira on subsidy alone. Although i don't have the exact figures but given the level of corruption and unimaginable kleptomania and moral decadence that exists in the downstream sector of the oil industry, I imagine that at least 40% of that amount (approx. N520Billion) found its way into the pockets of some individuals. Don't you think it would be wise of your GEJ to first fight corruption in the sector, recover this amount and keep on subsidising petrol for nigerians until when it will be clear to everyone that subsidy is no longer sustainable? If he does this first, i guarantee you that we will not be talking about subsidy removal in the next couple of years.

What I think would be wise, is that all Nigerians actually apply themseves to learn how insidious and all-pervasive the petroleum mafia is. I made an allusion to the police force elsewhere. Fighting the corruption in the petroleum sector is like fighting the corruption in the police, it is impossible; jailing people would have been a waste of time and chasing the wind.
If someone was to give you a choice of fighting corruption in the police force or totally scrapping it and starting afresh, which would you choose? It would be real funny to see someone jailing policemen to reform the force.

fork adict:
2.Would it not be wise to first improve power generation nationwide to at least 5000MW so that there would be reduced demand for petrol by nigerians who have to provide power for themselves before thinking of removing fuel subsidy?

There is rapid building in the power sector and we should have hit 5000MW by now (due December), if not for NLC and PHCN blackmailling the govt. It would have been better to have 5000MW, but since nothing works to schedule in Nigeria, it is best to push on with urgent reforms.

fork adict:
3.Can't our leaders make the smallest sacrifices e.g reduce unnecessary, non-value adding foreign trips, number of aides, security votes or even allowances thereby making some extra savings that may be returned to the nation's coffers and used to provide for some of the much needed infrastructure by nigerians?

Now, that is something I would join you to riot about.

fork adict:
4.Virtually all of the government officials that propose this subsidy removal do not buy fuel for their use with their money. Either looted or legitimately earned. Why can't the government enact policies that will make everysingle nigerian pay for the petrol he needs. That way we will believe that we are all in this together. But GEJ and his goooons do not buy fuel with their money but they want the common man to but fuel @ N140/litre? Hell No!

That will never happen.

fork adict:
FYI. I belong to the school of thought that believes that Nigeria can not sustain the fuel subsidy for much longer. But I believe that it shouldn't be mentioned until all these points highligted above have been realised. Then and only then may we start talking about deregulation.

Nice to know that you are halfway there, however as pointed out in some of my responses above, some of your assumptions are flawed.

@Uyi Iredia
My guy, when I talk about R&, I am not talking about FIIRO. If you have ever been to FIIRO though, you will collapse in tears.
Govt is serious about setting a percentage of the budget aside, strictly for R& (I forget the details, though).

As for science and tech requiring raw materials, surely that has little to do with the fuel subsidy. No?

The 50% drop in deisel consumption could not have come from people switching to petrol. The major users of desiel are industries who use it to run their generators 24/7, such users cannot switch to petrol. It is glaring that the 50% drop was due to a drop in fraud.

[quote author=Okija_juju link=topic=840035.msg9906164#msg9906164 date=1325845214]@ Beaf

The only thing I agree with you is that there is indeed hope.[/quote]Lol! And I thought I was making progress!

^
But una de riot na!
There needs to be a short period of stability for competition to drive the price down.

[quote author=Okija_juju link=topic=840035.msg9906086#msg9906086 date=1325844485]Bros, do you know that a policy like that would encourage mass population outburst?! Especially amongst the poor!!

No o!!

Make work avaliable to those who want to work.

Make world class technical colleges and institutions avaliable to those who cant read and get a good uni degree.

Make merit scholarship avaliable to bright less priviledged children.[/quote]I forgot to mention that its only for rural women. As for jobs, there are apprentice schemes and agricultural sector is going to be treated from an etrepreneural point of view of and enabling subsidies pumped into it, so that it will become fashionable to key into it, cos real money will be made. Agric will swallow up huge numbers of the unemployed. Govt is also opening up a numerous wasys of making money through alternative energy etc.

Everything might not work out perfectly (or it might ), but I think there is hope.

^
wetin man go do? Abeg, pass me some suya, make maut move o jare!

[quote author=Okija_juju link=topic=840035.msg9905903#msg9905903 date=1325843138]Thank God Jonathan!!

Just tell them no to open fire on the crowd of protesters, but if a nigga amongst them acts a fool, shoot that nigga dead.

I support the protesters in their decision to oppose the removal of subsidy, but I will not condone any foolishness on the part of Nigerians, I just pray that a Military coup does not take place, because that time, Nigerians would wish they bought fual for 300Naira per liter.

Long live Jonathan, No more subsidy/awoof Fuel.  


@ Beaf
Mothers get paid at birth?! Why?! [/quote]That is the best way to bring up healthy and happy kids and boost national IQ levels. It is scientifically proven that children brought up in abject poverty are less intelligent than those brought up without lack of nourishment.

As for shooting nigga's acting the fool dead, bros you bad o! I hope people are wise enough to keep away from the area, it is highly unusual to see heavily armed soldiers in gas masks. The picture is scary!

^
Research and development will put much more food on the table than petroleum ever can. I published a list of cities that make more money than Nigeria recently, they do it from being organised, not with petroleum or other natural resources. Science and tech is the way to go.

dotunbond:
The government has nothing on ground to cushion the effect of subsidy removal, to achieve this act ,the solution is not to remove subsidy at once, a certain percentage should be removed over time until there is no more subsidy and while the subsidy is being removed the money set aside from it should be invested in policies that will help cushion the effect e.g the repair or building of refineries which will only take 36months, if they are really dedicated to this cause it could b achieved in record time.

I buy into your reasoning, but I believe that govt acted immediately, because the money to fund the subsidy was ballooning at an alarming rate and it had to be borrowed.

When the subsidy on deisel was removed, our consumption of the product miraculously dropped 50%, while the country was recording growth in industrial output! Your guess is as good as mine where that 50% had been going.
It is almost certain that there will be a similar drop in "recorded" consumption in the next few weeks. Something tells me that the amount of fuel imported will drop drastically and our refineries begin to surprise us.

We live in a country that operates like voodoo, so lets be patient while the big juju's are being defanged. It is not the fight of the common man, nobody should go out and die for nothing, let GEJ deal with the principalities and powers, because he has the might.

@Uyi Iredia
The post below is also for you.

jay bee:
how about higher Inflationary pressures and we all know what higher inflation mean to the common Nigerian.

http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-macro-causes-of-inflation.html

How about for the first time ever in our history, mothers get paid at birth? What do you think such would do for the country? How about finally building of Mambila dam that we've heard about since we were born?

This is the first ever Nigerian govt to invest in Research an Development, What do you think that would do for the betterment and dignity of the common man? Do you wish to live in a black country that is serious about development?

Have you bothered to read the SURE document?

^
I asked you a simple question, how will the removal of subsidies set Nigeria back. I am not interested in empty sentiments.
HOW?

^
Abeg, learn what deregulation means so you don't ask such questions.

fork adict:
@ JP pHILLIPS.

You may recall that we had met on one thread where we argued intensively and extensively for and against deregulation. Your position then was very much different from your position now. At least going by your very first post on this thread. Its good to know that for those that are objective and willing enough to learn, Nairaland can be a very very useful forum.

But for fooooools like Beaf and the likes, let us just ignore them and hope that their fooly drives them to their destruction very soon.

God is such a merciful God. Otherwise, maggots like beaf should not, be alive by now.

You mean you are actually uttering curses, because you feel you have a right to be paid by govt, rather than demand the right things or do a hard days work?
Are you proud to be a beggar? I find your position absolutely ridiculous and laughable.

dotunbond:
We are not here to make noise,we should spread the gospel of actions to be taking and convince more people to join the struggle so we can actively participate in returning Nigeria back on track because this singular act by the govt is guaranteed to set Nigeria back, the fact of the matter is all the money that Nigeria has made has not been effectively utilized and in the nearest future if nothing is done now they will increase his price once again while the life of the citizenry doesn't improve the law maker just keep growing pot bellies, so it is either u join the fight or u get out of our way!

How?

Cogent:
Continue praying and hoping for the suffering of Nigerians to last.
I hope you choke on the blood money your master steals from the masses and gives to your greedy ar[i]s[/i]e.

You are the one that will choke. Nigeria relies 100% on petroleum today, because of people like you who do not think it is possible to survive without it, therefore you oppose a govt that is trying to cure your unhealthy addiction.

There is no medicine that tickles you. The removal of the subsidy is very necessary, everyone has a right to demonstrate, but it should be for reasons to develop the country.

bayooooooo:
Word! Protests, in Nigeria, can not work. What will work, if ever, is the proposed strike by NLC and TUC. One week strike is in itself an economic emergency that will force any government to act.

So don't waste your life.

Even the NLC and TUC ones will fail.

Bawss1:
GEJ has not shown any signs that he is seriously committed to dealing with corruption! His govt continues in the same path of extravagance and waste which his predecessors have been accused of. All we have heard are promises of change and transformation while the situation worsens. That alone counts as a fail. . .

Now we are told to give him 6 months. I for one would personally want to wait for 6 months to see what changes this subsidy removal will bring and how the lives of ordinary Nigerians will improve, if at all, but then we can all recall the lofty aims with which organizations like the NDDC were set up and measure that against the so called progress they have achieved.

I will tell you the biggest secret you already know. GEJ is from a minority group, yet this country was built to spit on minorities, and after the war, the SE (lets be candid about the structural deficiencies of our country).
What do you imagine a man from a minority group would need to gain power in a country like ours? Think about it and a lot of your assertions would fall to pieces.

GEJ payed his dues and acted the part to gain full power, now he has it and is weilding it. So, please lets watch and participate in the transformation of this country.
He might not provide every last one of our demands, but by 2015, this country would be a totally different place.

You are right to be skeptical about rubbish like the NDDC that is little more than a cash jamboree, it is normal considering our past. But, how many Presidents can you recall that have staked their office and political career on a principle for the betterment of you and I? That is what GEJ is doing right now; if there is any reason to trust him, that is it.

nuclearboy:
@Beaf:



Dictators? LOL - well, even the most "maximum" of them all didn't dare Nigeria like this! And iron-man OBJ also was more careful! The last few days have shown GEJ is the biggest dictator of all - killing peaceful protesters, damning the constitution in ignoring the NASS, ignoring 160million people etc

I am the last person to expect GEJ to change all things in a year because I actually didn't support him STARTING from the day Dokpesi joined his campaign team - eat with satan suggests you are demonic (to me)! Prior to that, I'd readily kill on GEJ's behalf!

All I want as a person is that GEJ treats the vultures around him like he treats the man on the street! I suspect that's what most want! Plus an obvious commitment to a reduction in waste, a respect for "ordinary" people and a respect for law would be nice.

However, your "democrat" has gone outside the NASS in implementing this policy, has killed protesters, has lied to us openly (even Abacha avoided that) etc! Abeg tell me who the more maximum is amongst them all!

I like you dude! Sharp, erudite, very verbose and truly loyal (maybe to your stomach if your detractors are believed) but you have one problem - you assign to yourself only the concept of intelligence and understanding! Plus believe it or not, critics are no enemies! If GEJ follows our suggestions, history will praise HIM and not US. But us all will enjoy it - that is our only profit.

Guy, GEJ has acted perfectly within the constitution, that is why any cries of illegality are weak and faltering. It is the Presidents sole right to determine almost a 100% of how revenue is shared and GEJ has issued a decree.

As for your accusations against GEJ, it is the fad to accuse him of creating Lucifer. So, carry go!

That power of the President was actually meant to serve another purpose. Nigeria was not designed for you and I, but for the ex-generals that ruled before; they designed the country in such a way that they would always have a long straw attached to the national jugular, to suck us dry. If you doubt it, take a look at all the ex-generals and study where they are, you will learn a lot about your country and in what ways we are enslaved; it will make you gag and wanna kill somebody.
It is a difficult job to take that whole edifice down, but GEJ has quietly plotted his route, he has manfully fired his first salvo's and he will win.

It takes time and guile to catch a monkey. GEJ only needs time and he has guile; he has told us that we will see results in 6 months and I want to give that chance.

By the way, thanks for the kind words. My detractors say what they say, because they always develop a mental limp and verbal stagger when faced with fleetfooted, hardpunching intellectual agility. Nothing is more dangerous, than a cornered animal, it will apply dirty tricks. . . You know the drill!

I don't know who to blame for this injustice, the Lagos state govt or the soldier.
It is crazy the way area boys have taken over what used to be peaceful parts of Lagos. Miscreants have been allowed to spillover from Mushin into nearby areas. It is undoubtful that the growth in audacity of the area boys is directly fed by politics.

Can you imagine someone coming home for Christmas and getting shot like a fowl, he wasn't shot in England where he was a foreigner, but in his own motherland. Why?
Now, it is obvious there is a cover up in place, it can only be because powerful people were behind the area boys battle.

May Niyi Ehindero's soul rest in peace and God console his wife.

nuclearboy:
I love your response! "Abuja has ALWAYS" been profligate", right? So it should continue and worsen? Do you remember the campaign slogans? "FRESH AIR" & "TRANSFORMATION", right? What you just said is that he willfully LIED, deliberately fooled everyone that he would MAKE A DIFFERENCE knowing it was going to be "same no ni", ehn? How does that stack up with our hopes?

Plus, Beaf, this matter is all about leadership by example! When Idiagbon whipped a few, the others got into line! if Bankole, etc were in jail for 150 years WITH hard labor right now, things would be different! If GEJ removed his head from otedola's arsehole and insisted things go the right way, things would be different! If he kicked Maduekwe to the curb and insisted NNPC show probity, things would be different! If he didn't have ludicrous positions almost resembling "assistant on doing number 1 and number 2 in the toilet", things would be different!

Expand these to your hearts delight!

So there!

So, you think GEJ can cure 50 years of fuckry in under a year, while carrying the sins of those before him like Jesus?
The more his opponents make such unfair and insincere demands, the more his supporters feel they are driven by some form of bigotry.

It is the misunderstanding people have of GEJ that has got them into this protest quandary. Because GEJ smiles easily, the average Nigerian, who is an over aggressive type, thinks they can toy with him and that he got everything by luck.
With this subsidy removal, many are learning a new thing or two about that, and the man is still going right on smiling.

Transformation takes time and is painful, even more so in a democracy.

Your comparison of GEJ to Idiagbon is quite strange. Idiagbon was a maximum military dictator who came to power by the barrel of the gun, GEJ is the President with a democratic mandate. There is absolutely no basis for comparison, and nobody can be arbitrarily jailed for 150 years by GEJ. The law just does not work that way, a dictator can order anything he wants and it would get done, but that would earn any democrat a jail term on leaving office (if he has immunity).
In any event, Idiagbon and his lawless crew a strong part of why Nigeria is a chotic soup today, without laws and strong institutions.

You need to get acquainted with the law and the constitution, because your arguments are far out.

^
Dude, don't put words in my mouth. I love honest debate, thank you.
Nigeria did not become what it is with GEJ. It is the way some of you blame Jonathan for things that started long before he took office that makes many of us believe that this protest is driven by dark ulterior motives that are either political, or ethnically or religiously bigotted.

Abuja has always been profligate and honesty is a virtue.

nuclearboy:
@efisher:

Whist totally appreciating what you have said, I think you should also consider that corruption is likely the reason why subsidy has become a problem today! We all watched and saw Billions upon billions change hands to ensure election victory last year. We all have seen and heard cases of mind-boggling profligacy and mindless stealing! Why is it after such a ridiculous excuse for an election that subsidy went up?

Did you not read that the first 6 months were normal? Why only after the "election" did we start using 55mill liters up from 27mill? Did everyone go out and buy 2 cars + 2 generators in that month? There are "primary" issues and secondary ones! What we see today which people are complaining about is that corruption INFLATED the true cost AND IF NOT DEALT with first, it will equally consume any "savings" which by the way, the man on the street is now paying for!

Give this government 200 Trillion dollars and in 5 months, you will hear promises and excuses. Their precedences and history shows that. That's why people are angry. Show that probity is now the order and people will back down

Clearing up the corruption around the fuel subsidy would have been like attempting to clear the corruption in the police force.
Think about it, is it easier to convince the police to stop taking "roger" than to sack all the phuckers and start afresh? That is what has happened with the subsidy thing.

The mafia's tentacles were everywhere poor GEJ looked. They are in govt, some are in the opposition, in the army, police, customs, ports authority, NNPC, unions etc.
The only way to deal with such a monumental level of corruption was toss the entire edifice in the bin and start afresh. The average Nigerian is incredibly corrupt, and that is the problem anyone dealing with the various mafia's has to face.

PHCN and the generator mafia are the next to die the same way.

efisher:
@nuclearboy, I am one person who can look at things from many different perspectives and respect intelligent contributions even when at variance with my stance. As he said, the key issue is not about subsidy removal. Those educated enough know it is a huge waste. Those on the street don't know that. The main point he has brought to the fore is the great divide between the political class and the masses. We should think of ways to solve that problem.

My view is that subsidy and expensive governance are 2 totally different problems. Subsidy removal is not "a silver bullet" to solve ALL our problems as Sanusi said but it is definitely an easier path for the FG to take. I don't see why we should keep postponing it for later. On the other hand, our expensive government needs to be checked and I think that's where we should direct the protests to.

QED!

It is threads like this that nobody can fault and everyone can connect with.
I will personally join a protest against govt wastage and most especially, against the crinimally stratospheric wages of NASS members.

Perhaps, we all need to get together and hammer out an abiding philosophy of how this country should work, then hit the streets with focus and direction to force through the necessary constitutional changes.

I don't want to demonstrate, because I am being made to sacrifice for my kids, in fact nobody should need to be told to do that; so the anti-subsidy protests are annoying to me. However, there are a whole heap of fundamental issues to do with our national architecture that we should all be ready to hit the streets and burn the place down for. Several of us have made loud calls about the PIB, true federalism, land use act, an equitable citizen-state contract etc but it has all fallen on dry ground.
What is wrong with Nigerians?

If the govt can keep the ports open, oil flowing and electricity plants operating, then the strike would have been defeated.
Soldiers should be taking over all PHCN installations over the weekend, if history is a judge.

[size=14pt]Oil Workers Divided over Strike[/size]
06 Jan 2012

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Oil drilling operation

By Linda Eroke

Attempt by the Federal Government to break the ranks of labour is beginning to yield positive results as some industrial unions are already considering backing out of the planned nationwide strike action which is scheduled to commence January 9.

THISDAY gathered that the two unions in the oil sector-the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) are yet to take decision on whether or not to participate in the strike action called by the two labour centres in the country.

Unlike in the past when the NLC issues strike notice to its affiliates, the affiliates are expected to communicate to all its units across the country within 24 hours. But as at last night, the secretariat of NUPENG was yet to direct its members across the country to mobilise for strike. THISDAY leant that the President of NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese, who is currently on Pilgrimage in Israel has directed the General Secretary to suspend the strike until further notice.

This may not be unconnected with the fact that the two unions are under pressure from the Federal Government not to join in the planned strike action going by the impact it would have on the oil sector.

Also, the National Executive Council (NEC) of PENGASSAN could not reach a compromise on the planned strike action as at press time. The meeting which was chaired by the union President, Comrade Babatunde Ogun, could not agree on strike even though a communiqué endorsing the strike action was read to journalist at the President’s office by 6p.m. Thursday.

THISDAY gathered that the Council, which is the highest decision making body of PENSGASSAN was divided into two groups with one group supporting the planned mass action and the other group disposed to labour’s decision on strike.

The group that was opposed to strike had argued that there was no imperative for strike given the fact that government has met some of the conditions given to it by the oil union. It further argued that there was no reason to join in the strike citing instances where labour issues strike notice only to suspend it at the eleventh hour.

However, the union boss announced that the NEC has endorsed fully the position taken by the NLC and TUC to embark on strike Monday next week noting that the NEC has directed all branches to commence an indefinite strike from Monday, January 9, 2012. However, he said only the leadership of PENGASSAN can direct the suspension/call off the strike.

Ogun, who faulted the palliatives put in place by government to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on the masses argued that the palliatives cannot meet the yearnings of the masses.

Ogun said the NEC has also rejected the Alfa Belgore led Committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to negotiate with labour insisting that PENGASSAN will only negotiate with the government team led by President Goodluck Jonathan which is required to itemise with timeline any project to be done which must include but not limited to revamping of existing refineries,bulding of greeenfield refineries among others.

He further urged government at all levels to first exhibit the spirit of sacrifice by reducing drastically the cost of governance and cutting the recurrent expenditure in the 2012 budget from 70 percent to not more than 50 percent stressing that the savings be directed to infrastructural development.

Meanwhile, NLC has faulted the statement credited to the Federal Government that that it is importing 1,600 buses into the country next week to cushion the effects of the hike in the price of petrol on the citizenry.

The Congress also denied reports that the leadership of the labour movement held a closed door meeting with some government officials on issue of fuel subsidy describing as mischievous and part of government’s strategy to stop the protest. It maintained that labour leaders are busy mobilizing for indefinite strike action and does not have the time for “frivolous, unsustainable and unproductive dialogue with the presidency or any of its committees.

The Congress, in a statement issued by its Acting General Secretary, Comrade Owei Lakemfa said the claim by government that it was importing 1,600 buses into the country was false stressing that the buses in question belong to TUC. The Congress said the decision by government was an afterthought arguing that the Presidency should have put the measures in place before coming out with the policy decision.

The Congress further denied reports making round in the media that some oil marketers were funding the general strike and mass protests against subsidy removal alleging that the reports were part of the efforts by the Presidency to divert attention from the mass protests.

“We wish to state categorically that no oil marketer or any individual can fund a protest of the working people.  The negative impact of the increase in petrol prices is there to see; astronomical rise in the cost of transportation, school fees, medical bills, food and services.  The Nigerian people, unlike those in government are independent minded and cannot be bought by any group be they marketers, the IMF or World Bank.”

The Presidency yesterday announced that it is importing 1,600 buses to cushion the effects of its inhuman hike in the price of petrol.  First, we think it is a false claim as the buses in question refer to those being imported by Trade Union Congress (TUC).

“Secondly, the announcement is laughable because if divided by the 774 Local Governments in the country, it amounts to 2 buses per Local Government.  Thirdly, one would have thought that the Presidency would put these “cushioning effects” in place before the unreasonable hike in petrol price

“The NLC advises the Jonathan administration to wake up to the reality that Nigerians are resolved to resist its punitive policies and are determined to reclaim their country from those who are intent on bringing it down,” Congress stated. In a related development, the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTAN) has dissociated itself from the planned mass protest by labour movement and has directed members across the country to ignore the call for mass protests by labour.

The group, in a statement signed by its National President, Dr. Olufemi Ajewole pledged support and commitment to the ideals of the transformation agenda of the present administration.

“We state categorically that we are not against the current deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector as the envisaged benefits to all Nigerians promises enormous economic prosperity and massive infrastructural development. We have implicit trust in the credentials of eminent Nigerians appointed into the Board to manage and administer the proceeds from the Subsidy removal from PMS.

“This bold policy initiative by Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will not only lunch us into the enviable most developed 20 largest economics by the year 2020 but will drastically reduced the hydra-headed corruption monster in the oil and gas industry. We are hopeful that this step will also yield massive employment for our teaming unemployed youth; create a pool of fund for direct intervention in road construction, rehabilitation, steady power supply, revamping of the decaying education system, upgrading of primary and tertiary health facilities, procurement of modern agricultural facilities, among others.

“In view of our avowed commitment to the success of the Transformation Agenda of this administration, our Association is organising a one-day Pro-Subsidy Rally to show solidarity and support for the bold initiative taken by federal government which is long overdue,” the group stated.

However, several affiliate unions have issued directives to members across the country to mobilise for an indefinite strike action next week. The industrial unions include maritime workers union, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI).

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Thanks for the translation.