₦airaland Forum

obiZEAL:
When the Government grant the marketers' request it also brings mutual benefit to the populace and the marketers to.
Secondly if the Government feels marketers are cheating the country what have stopped the Government from prosecuting them?

Ok, now I understand you, mutual benefits like leaving our refineries "dead" without any attempt to revamp them but continue to pay the oil marketers right?

Mutual benefits like spending trillions of naira on oil subsidy when we have no efficient infrastructure on ground, poor health system, poor eductation system among others?

You got it all wrong Sir.
Prosecution is already on the way but we say NO to fuel subsidy.

obiZEAL:
And I Put it to you that this Government just made the same mistake!
No planning. No palliative measures, no increase in minimum wage, refineries are still down, no any form of reinvestment scheme, no concrete roadmap on how to diversify the economy...there is just no justification sir.

Contrary to your claims, there are already schemes and programs on ground on how the subsidy removal will be used to bring diversification into the economy by meeting some foreign investors (according to President Buhari).

You can more on the program here

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/10/buhari-plans-diversification-of-nigerias-economy-in-2016-budget/

obiZEAL:
They are both the same thing sir,you can point out their differences if you think otherwise, the both render services to the Government.

The difference lies in their respective requests. ASUU seek to improve the education sector and improve lecturers' welfare, while the oil marketers seek to always increase their wealth through the subsidy.
Mind you, if the government grant ASSU's request it brings mutual benefit to both lecturers and students, but marketers on the other hand get enriched while the poor get poorer.

Weedcrusher:
I must commend both parties for driving their points home.

My question for the pro-subsidy removal team is, what do you think will be the reaction of the populace if the subsidy is removed knowing that when the last government did so, we all know it resulted in the Occupy Nigeria facedown?

The fact is that as at now, there is decline in the price of oil globally compared to 2012, so people can hardly feel any economic austerity as a result of subsidy removal which brought about the Occupy the Nation palava before

obiZEAL:
Again sir, Your argument is flawed, if the Government started the budget planning process since 2015, it means they technically removed fuel subsidy in 2015 ( while planning 2016 budget) so they should have started the process of diversifying the economy too in 2015 ( while planning 2016 budget). And that we have to wait for a year, while not paying subsidy, to fugure out which area to diversify our economy is laughable.

The government cannot or must avoid the mistake of the past administration by first sanitizing the people on the need to remove subsidy to avoid economic hullabaloo. You remember, the former administration just removed subsidy on January 1st without due planning and sanitization, and we all know what they got in return.

obiZEAL:
When ASUU Goes on their periodic strikes as a result of government not being able to reach their demands, holding the Government to ransom, do the Government resort to shouting down the public Universities so that there can be competition between the private Universities?
No, They don't! They dialogue, that's a characteristic of a good government.
Fuel subsidy removal cannot be justified.

The case of ASUU and the oil marketers are two different things Sir, so it is illogical to bring it into this argument

obiZEAL:
If you have gone through the proposed 2016 Budget, you will discover that fuel subsidy is comfortably missing, but if you look harder you will also discover that the 'high level financial commitment' as you said, have not been awarded to the sector which you said will be diversified with the removal of fuel subsidy. This is to further stress that the reason why our economy have not been diversified is not financial, its is rather political. What will you say about countries that pay fuel subsidy and still have been able to diversify their economy?
Lets not blame payment of fuel subsidy for not diversifying our economy, the reason is squarely political!

At this point, I will like to educate you. 2016 budget started its planning process since 2015, and the implementation of subsidy removal started in 2016, so it is technically impossible to make up for the areas where the re-investment of subsidy will be targeted for now. But by taking such steps, the coming year will definitely will be a joyful one for us as a nation. The process of transition from one stage to another is not a day job. So subsidy removal is still in that process for now.

obiZEAL:
Mr Menzo4u , you made mention of Nigeria having erudite leaders like Buhari, Adesoun and Ibe Kachikwu at the helm of affairs who would make sure the money gotten from subsidy will not be diverted as has been the case in previous occasions, well, why don't this erudite leader sanitize the process Of payments of fuel subsidy instead. Halting fuel subsidy because of the corruption in the process can be liken to throwing the baby away with the bath water. We all all know you can't cut off the head because you have a headache, so also, the payment of subsidy cannot be stopped because some unscrupulous elements are being dishonest. The 'corruption intolerant' government should sanitize the oil industry and not torture the masses.

The best way to ensure "sanity" is to remove the fuel subsidy Sir. It was insanity when very few people who call themselves "oil marketers" have to hold Nigerians for ransom when the Federal Government is not able to meet their payment conditions on Subsidy. So sanity will be ensured when we do not have to depend on this cabal anymore, and ensure we look inwards to invest in other sectors of the economy.

There is nothing like torturing here, what we have is "sacrifice" which will temporary in order to free us from the bondage called oil subsidy. In fact, by removing subsidy, there will also be room for competition among all these oil marketers if you think about it very well

noskyboy:
menzo4u
the last adminstration spent about 4 trillion naira on budget while this adminstration is spending about 6 trillion. so I don't understand your logic when you say money spent on fuel subsidy in 2015 (1 trillion ) is more than 2 budgets.
secondly, how long can we bear the sacrifice with no palliative measures in place, no free transport, no free food and a minimum wage of 18500. are Nigerians magicians? .
thirdly, the corruption fight is still slow and highly partial, so how long are we going to wait?

Please try to comprehend my statement. I said the money was enough to fund two budgets in some sectors of the economy, not the total budget. What you mentioned above is the total budget, not for some (two) sectors.

On your question on palliative measure, is it not money that will be used to set those palliative measures? Now, the money is about to be generated by removing subsidy, but you said "NO". Again: the government has also introduced the Treasury Single Account policy to block some leakages in order to put up the palliative measures: so subsidy is one of the leakages.

When you said corruption fight is still low, I laughed because, that thing called "corruption" is not kid's play so it requires slow but steady action.

obiZEAL:
Menzo4u, you made mention in your debate that : The removal of fuel subsidy will make room for diversification of the economy, I put it to you that your argument is flawed. Payment of fuel subsidy and diversification of the economy are not mutually exclusive.
Our government can keep paying fuel subsidy and still diversify our economy if the political will is present.
Fuel subsidy is not the only item in our previous national budget, there have been provisions for other revenue producing sectors like agriculture and solid minerals, but the problem have been implementation, Nigeria is not the only country subsidizing petrol, but we are the only country that have been unable to diversify our economy, the passiveness of our government should be blamed for not diversifying our economy and not payment of fuel subsidy.

Diversification of the economy is not something that can be done with a peanut Sir. It requires high level of financial commitment and planning. Or how on earth do you expect a country currently nursing to pay a number of debt and still spending such huge amount of fuel subsidy to embark on diversification? You made mention of solid minerals and agriculture, does the government not need to ensure some kind of blockage in financial waste to be able achieve this?

According to you @noskyboy

"Economically; the removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria cannot be justified, because such decision would have an adverse multiplier effect on the economy on a long run, it will lead to the increase in prices of everything, from transportation to cost of running businesses especially small businesses which would increase prices of food and other services and goods."

One can directly say the above statement of yours is mere propaganda and not in line with the current in the oil world. It is well known that there is global fall in the price of oil, so how can a the removal of fuel subsidy bring those adversities you mentioned above?

Secondly, for your information Sir, your statement has already been tackled in my submission, all we need as a nation is "sacrifice". Since the price of oil is still low globally, don't you think that by reinvesting money generated from subsidy removal, we can also bring our refinery back to life and start producing oil locally which will even translate into more benefits for us as a nation? Where is the austerity Sir?

It is without doubt, the fountain of Nigeria's wealth, it is indeed an enviable blessing to have it in our dear nation, I am referring to nothing but the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which synonymously translates to fossil fuel or petrol.

Before taking the driver's seat on today's subject of discourse, my unreserved salutation goes to the committed orgainisers of this debate, the credible judges, intelligent debaters, and the ever-following audience. I am Jimoh Ahmed Temitope, menzo4u by moniker, representing the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, Yabatech.

Fuel Subsidy, according freedictionary.com, is a monetary assistance granted by a government to a person or group in support of an enterprise regarded as being in the public interest.
In layman's view, which I term the "bricklayer's explanation", there is a certain amount of money that the government is paying to some people known as "Oil Marketers", as a form of assistance for them to reduce the cost of the burden of oil importation on them, they are paid a certain amount of money, when this payment is made, it is called "fuel subsidy".

So the topic is simply asking this question, “the government has decided to stop paying this money (fuel subsidy). Is it a justified action?". To this, I say "yes".

First and foremost, you will agree with me that the scam, called subsidy should not in anyway be given any consideration in the dictionary of Nigeria. None of the major sectors is practically working in the country, the education sector is screaming for help, the value of our currency is bleeding to death, the health sector is nothing to write home about. So it is definitely justifiable for the government to stop, remove, or eliminate fuel subsidy in order to use the money generated to revive the major sectors of the economy.

In addition, according to a news report on DailyTrust (December 15, 2015), the current Minster of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, affirms that Nigeria spent N1Trillion on fuel subsidy in 2015 alone, which is more than the nation's total budget for two years on other important sectors of the economy. Imagine the economic benefit Nigerians stand to gain if this huge sum of money was channeled into the non-oil sector.

Furthermore, by re-investing the money generated from the removal of fuel subsidy into an important sector like the agricultural sector (for instance), this will not only boost the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but also be a saviour to our fast depreciating currency.

So far, I have come to the realization that Nigeria can be compared to a recharge card seller who has a damaged printing machine (for printing recharge cards), but instead of repairing it, he prefers patronizing another firm for the printing, and thereby losing a huge part of his profit to another organisation. Such is the case of my dear nation, Nigeria has a total of four refineries which can be repaired and effectively maintained to refine crude and produce oil locally. Why is it then justifiable for the government to be paying some so called oil marketers instead of bringing our refineries back to life?

More so, the benefits Nigerians stand to gain from fuel subsidy removal is enormous, there will be more concentration on diversifying the economy, more financial resources will be channeled on infrastructural development, creation of employment through industrialisation, and servicing the country's debt among other merits.

My opponent may argue that the removal of fuel subsidy will bring about increase in pump price of fuel, and this will bring about economic austerity on the citizens. I strongly believe that as lovers of Nigeria, we must be ready to make necessary sacrifices for the development of our motherland, the assumed "austerity" will definitely be a temporary one, that is, if at all the global prices of oil go high. I agree with J.M Bark on this quote, “you can have anything in life if you can sacrifice everything else for it". Sacrifice is part of life.

My opponent may also want to find leverage in saying that corruption and mismanagement of fund will greet the money generated from the removal of fuel subsidy, but I strongly believe in the present administration's stance against corruption, as this is vividly evident in the way it has been tackled with high level of gravity so far.
With Mrs Kemi Adeosun as the "striking" finance minister, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as the "defensive midfielder" in the petroleum ministry, and president Muhammadu Buhari as the "coaching" president in the country, and Mr. Ibrahim Magu of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as the watchdog, the case of corruption will be drastically reduced if not completely eliminated.

In conclusion, the failure or success of the future of our country depends on the actions we take today, and posterity will judge us for it. On this note, as a proud ambassador of this country, having seen the pending benefits that the masses stand to gain from the removal of fuel subsidy, I say boldly and firmly that it is completely justified. Thanks.

Reference:
Definition of Subsidy
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Fuel+subsidy

J.M Bark's quote
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/sacrifice

Mr. Ibe Kachikwu on fuel subsidy
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/nigeria-spends-n1tr-on-fuel-subsidy-in-2015-kachikwu/124416.html

Yabatech present

THE JOURNEY of SUCCESS:::::

Let me take you on a journey....
A journey into the world of the successful people, by being successful, I do not necessarily mean those who are rich, but people who have made a lot of impact in life.

Do you know Ashish Thakkar?

Currently at the age of 31. He was once a victim of genocide from Rwanda, despite his challenges, he relocated to Uganda and started off his IT Business. Today he is Africa's youngest billionaire.
Are you doubting my statement? Google is your friend dear.

Do you know Jason Njoku?

Before he became successful, he attempted and failed in many businesses 11 times, before getting the idea of running a business like IROKOTV which takes Nollywood movies to the online platform. Today, he is worth millions of dollars.

Are you doubting my statement? Google is your friend dear.

Do you know Linda Ikeji?

She started up as a waitress during her university days, she later discovered the opportunities in the world of blogging and today, she has her mansion in Banana Island, she is in money,
Are you doubting my statement? Google is your friend dear.

Do you know Seun Osewa?

He is the founder of the arguably number one online forum in Africa, Nairaland.
Despite attempting many businesses and failed, he still never gave up on his dream.
Do you know what all these people have in common? Perseverence*Determination*Zeal*Action
Do you possess all the qualities above?

What you should learn:

All the people above are all in their 30s, imagine the feet they have reached in life, despite their challenges, they never made excuses, but went ahead to go beyond their predicaments and made it in life.
My friend, are you still waiting? Are you still complaining? If these people mentioned above can make it, what stops you? Go ahead and find the opportunites, explore the problem in your environmment and use it to make your wealth.

In every adversity, lies an opportunity.

As written by Genius (menzo4u)
#‎iWRITE2INSPIRE‬

Like Genius Group on facebook @
https://m.facebook.com/geniusgrouponline/

@Vick4rill
I think you might be a bit wrong in your assertion that nairalanders don't believe in dream, they only advice everyone to be entrepreneur
Looking at the current situation of the world, especially "our Nigeria", the gospel of entrepreneurship is worth spreading.

The article above may have simply talked about dream, but the main target is to motivate people to achieve their purpose in life, and give no excuses why they can't.

Weather you end up being an entrepreneur who creates job or a successful employee, it all depends on your dream. But I am also an advocate of entrepreneurship. Thanks.

Wish you the same @obiaguna

You said it all @Akposb

sammyscholar:
I ws unable to view the message. This is my number, anyway; 081344407874. Let us talk on whatsapp

I don't think this number is connected to Whatsapp for now, as I just sent you a message.

Sometimes when I write, even though I have to burn candle in the middle of the night to write at times, I ask myself, is anybody reading these stuffs at all?

Then an inner voice always tells me...there is one person down there who is always inspired by your article. An inner voice still tells me...those who ignore what you write today will one day come across your write up in the future and come to realize the power in your article.

Are you one of those who ignore my articles? Please, don't ignore this.

I don't write to impress you, I don't write to "show" myself...this is why 100% of my article is not "copy and paste". I write to you from my heart.

So, I title this, DARE TO WIN::::

I have always thought winning is always meant for those who are in a war front or a battle. Until I come to realise that coming to this world alone is a battle.

We battle to be successful in life, we battle to survive against all odds, we battle to win a competition just like politicians battle to win election, in the class, we battle for a post, highest marks, in our homes; we battle to be the breadwinner.

What a world!

No one can be successful in life without winning these battles, and only those who dare to win can overcome the battle of life.

But the question is...what can we do to win the battle of success in life?
As I have always told a friend of mine David, I said "No soldier wins a battle alone"...this also applies to success. If you want to be successful in life, FIND YOUR OWN SOLDIER.

Your soldier is someone who will lift you up in life, BankyW was Wizkid's soldier, Olamide was LilKesh's Soldier, Coach John Obu was Mikel Obi's soldier....who is your own soldier?

You may find your own soldier, but what are you going to offer your own soldier for him to help you? Wizkid, LilKesh, Mikel Obi all had something to offer their own soldiers, and that is their skills and talent.

So my friend, do you really want to win this war, called "Success"? Follow this step.

*Have a skill or talent and develop it.
*Move around people who are in need your skills or people that will be helpful to your career.
*You must WIN.

Many people have told you several times that life is all about being patient, and what you want will definitely be yours in abundance. But I say, being patient is good, but chasing what you want is better.

Good things come to those who wait; better things come to those who chase...don't wait, don't stop. You must win this battle, go ahead and achieve your purpose in life.

If you believe, let me hear you say "I am a winner".

As written by Genius (menzo4u)
#iWRITE2INSPIRE

Like Genius Group on https://m.facebook.com/geniusgrouponline/

sammyscholar:
I ws unable to view the message. This is my number, anyway; 081344407874. Let us talk on whatsapp

Alright...

sammyscholar:
hello bro. I would like to have some words with you. Could you please pm me your whatsapp digits?

Ok

Fynestboi:
When did you?

I am in the same shoes with SammyScholar, I just sent mine today though.

Fynestboi:
Check your mail...

I am just seeing it now too. You ought to have given us a mention here Sir.

Fynestboi:
Your email to
Nairalandinterschooldebate@gmail.com

Sent...kindly confirm receipient.

IS YOUR DREAM ALIVE?

The road seems too rough, the journey seems so tedious, the vision appears to be unattainable. There seems to be so much beauty in that dream, but it all seems to be in imagination not in reality.

This question goes specially to you.
Is your dream alive?

How many plans did you set last year, on academics, skills acquisition, finances among others? How many were you able to accomplish?

Is your dream alive?

Many people are alive but their dreams are not alive. Show me a tree which grows without any fruit; and I will show you a man who lives without his dream alive.

A day is coming, that young man will become an old man waiting in his bed to pass on to his ancestor, and his dream will walk in slowly in pity, and ask him, "why did you not realize me?","why did you not bring me to live?".

And this man will respond with excuses saying, " there was no time, I came from a poor background, my country is not good"....and the he dies with his dream.

The man forgets that....

Fashola was not born into a rich background, yet he became the governor of Lagos State.

Blessing Okagbare is setting records in the world of athletics, yet she has 24Hours in a day just like him.
Seun Osewa of Nairaland is a millionaire before the age of 30, yet he lives in the same Nigeria as you.

The list is countless.
If these people and anyone else have made it Nigeria despite all these challenges, then what stops you?

Is your dream alive?

You and only you can bring your dream to live, start up a plan, stick strictly to it, and start working in the direction of your dream everyday.
There is no excuse for failure, successful people don't make excuses; they make changes.

I challenge you! Stand up on your feet and go into the world, and make your dream come to live. Don't give up on your dreams, you are the next change the world is waiting for.

If you believe your dream is alive, let me hear you say "MY DREAM IS ALIVE".

Thanks for reading.

As written by Genius (menzo4u)
#iWRITE2INSPIRE

Like Genius Group on facebook.
https://m.facebook.com/geniusgrouponline/

Cc: Lalasticlala
Seun, let's inspire Nigerians together.

Fynestboi:
There have been PMs and questions of what participants stand to gain for being a part of this intellectual exercise apart from academic benefits as regards researches and the likes, and my usual response had always been "Time will tell"

Now, the time has come!!...Tehn has got something for the participants ( You can open the link to have an insight)
https://www.nairaland.com/2498904/tehn-calling-all-school-leavers/8)

This opportunity is open to past and present winners, best debaters, to assist in grading secondary school leaver's essay, and this will not be for free as selected individuals will be remunerated...

If you are interested kindly quote this comment, after which you will be contacted.









[size=5pt]Cc: Jaybee3 [/size]

I am in

Fynestboi:
Adjust it to I am in... Ain't you part of the best debaters for the just concluded stage?

Yes, I was part.
Thanks.

Fynestboi:
There have been PMs and questions of what participants stand to gain for being a part of this intellectual exercise apart from academic benefits as regards researches and the likes, and my usual response had always been "Time will tell"

Now, the time has come!!...Tehn has got something for the participants ( You can open the link to have an insight)
https://www.nairaland.com/2498904/tehn-calling-all-school-leavers/8)

This opportunity is open to past and present winners, best debaters, to assist in grading secondary school leaver's essay, and this will not be for free as selected individuals will be remunerated...

If you are interested kindly quote this comment, after which you will be contacted.









[size=5pt]Cc: Jaybee3 [/size]

........

Fynestboi:
Your stance is on the pics.

Ok. Seen now.

Fynestboi:
Check the link properly. BTW which list?

https://www.nairaland.com/2811855/nairaland-interschool-debate-third-edition/1

You didn't indicate opposing and supporting side, and no specific date and time. Even the picture is not displaying.

Fynestboi:
Hi all, happy Sunday to you all, the date as deliberated by TEAMNISD (23rd January - 14th February) Saturdays and Sundays... 7pm(Tentatively)

[size=15pt]So you can drop your comments as you see this.. [/size]


Thanks.

It's perfect programming Sir.
Looking forward to getting our date and time as soon as possible. In other hand, I say big "KUDOS" to you and TEAMNSID for the creativity applied in coordinating the program so far.