₦airaland Forum

LEADERS of organized labour in the country have given reasons why the indefinite strike and street protests declared to force the Federal Government revert the pump price of Petrol from N141 per litre to pre-January1, 2012 price of N65 per litre, was suspended after eight days.

Announcing the suspension of the strike at a joint press briefing in Abuja yesterday, leaders of NLC and TUC explained that the strike action forced the government to announce price reduction from N140 to N97 per litre after it had earlier said the price hike was irreversible, while the government has also adopted the policy to reduce cost of governance.

The labour leaders also said following the protests across the country, the government has now made up its mind to move decisively against massive and crippling corruption in the oil sector even as government now saw the need to prosecute economic saboteurs and accelerate the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.

They also explained that street protests and mass rallies were earlier suspended by labour, to save lives and in the interest of national survival.

In a joint statement by Comrades Abdulwaheed Omar and Peter Esele, President of NLC and TUC respectively, labour, said in the past eight days through strikes, mass rallies, shutdown, debates and street protests, Nigerians demonstrated clearly that they could no longer be taken for granted and that sovereignty belonged to them.

The statement said: “In the last twenty four hours, the Labour Movement and its allies who had the historic responsibility of coordinating these mass actions have had cause to review the various actions and decided that in order to save lives and in the interest of national survival, these mass actions be suspended. We note the major successes Nigerians scored in these past days in which they rose courageously as a people to take their destiny in their hands.”

Giving reasons why the strike was suspended, Labour said: “First, the Federal Government that chorused continuously that its decision to increase petrol (PMS) price to N141 is irreversible and irreducible, was forced to announce a price reduction to N97. We, however, state categorically that this new price was a unilateral one by the Government. Secondly, Government has been made to adopt the policy to drastically reduce the cost of governance.

Source:
Vanguard

pokur:
Boy,i just did the calculations on my own and it turns out Bakare is right.Even assuming 1.3trn was the total subsidy payout for last year,there's still a discrepancy of about 400billion.What the heck is going on?. Where is our money going to?

Pastor 'Tunde Bakare delivered this expose on Fuel Subsidy at The Latter Rain Assembly a few hours ago. Please read, digest, and share with as many people as you can. Enough is ENOUGH.
==
FACTS YOU MUST KNOW: SUBSIDY MADE SIMPLE (SMS)
 
1)      DEFINITION 
To subsidise is to sell a product below the cost of production. Since the federal government has been secretive about the state of our refineries and their production capacity, we will focus on importation rather than production. So, in essence, within the Nigerian Fuel Subsidy context, to subsidise is to sell petrol below the cost of importation.
 
2)      THE UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 
The Nigerian government claims that Nigerians consume 34 million litres of petrol per day. The government has also said publicly that N141 per litre is the unsubsidised pump price of petrol imported into Nigeria. (N131.70 kobo being the landing price and N9.30 kobo being profit.)
 
3)      ANNUAL COST OF IMPORTATION
Daily Fuel Consumption:                    34 million litres
Cost at Pump:                                    N141.00
No. of days in a regular year:           365 days
Total cost of all petrol imported yearly into Nigeria:
 
Litres          Naira       Days
34m      x     141    x     365
= N1.75 trillion
 
4)      COST BORNE BY THE CONSUMERS
Nigerians have been paying N65 per litre for fuel, haven’t we? Therefore, cost borne by the consumers =
 
Litres          Naira     Days
34m      x     65    x     365
= N807 billion
 
5)      COST OF SUBSIDY BORNE BY THE GOVERNMENT
In 2011 alone, government claimed to have spent N1.3 trillion by October – the bill for the full year, assuming a constant rate of consumption is N1.56 trillion.
 
Consequently, the true cost of subsidy borne by the government is:
Total cost of importation minus total borne by consumers, i.e. N1.75 trillion minus N807 billion = N943 billion.
 
Unexplainable difference: N617 billion
 
The federal government of Nigeria cannot explain the difference between the amount actually disbursed for subsidy and the cost borne by Nigerians (N1.56 trillion minus N943 billion = N617 billion).
 
6)      BOGUS CLAIM BY THE GOVERNMENT
A government official has claimed that the shortfall of N617 billion is what goes to subsidising our neighbours through smuggling. This is pathetic. But let us assume (assumption being the lowest level of knowledge) that the government is unable to protect our borders and checkmate the brisk smuggling going on. Even then, the figures still don’t add up. This is because even if 50% of the petrol consumed in each of our neighbouring countries is illegally exported from Nigeria, the figures are still inaccurate. Why?
 
WORLD BANK’S FIGURES: POPULATIONS OF WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES
 
NIGERIA:                 158.4 million
BENIN:                     8.8 million
TOGO:                      6 million
CAMEROUN:            19.2 million
NIGER:                     15.5 million
CHAD:                      11.2 million
GHANA:                    24.4 million
 
The total population of all our six (6) neighbours is 85.5 million.
 
Let’s do some more arithmetic:
 
a)      Rate of Petrol Consumption in Nigeria: Total consumed divided by total population:
 
34 million litres divided by 158.8 million people = 0.21 litres per person per day.
 
b)      Rate of Petrol Consumption in all our 6 neighbouring countries, assumed to be the same as Nigeria:
 
0.2 litres x 85.5 million people = 18.35 million litres per day
 
Now, if we assume that 50% of the petrol consumed in all the six neighbouring countries comes from Nigeria, this value come to 9.18 million litres per day.
 
7)      PATHETIC ABSURDITY
There are two illogicalities flowing from this smuggling saga.
a)      If 9.18 million litres of petrol is truly smuggled out of our borders per day, then ours is the most porous nation in the word. This is why: The biggest fuel tankers in Nigeria have a capacity of about 36,000 litres. To smuggle 9.18 million litres of fuel, you need 254 trucks. What our government is telling us is that 254 huge tankers pass through our borders every day and they cannot do anything about it. This is not just acute incompetence, but also a serious security challenge. For if the government cannot stop 254 tanker trailers from crossing the border daily, how can they stop importation of weapons or even invasion by a foreign country?
b)      2nd illogicality:
Even if we believe the government and assume that about 9.18 million litres is actually taken to our neighbours by way of smuggling every day, and all this is subsidised by the Nigerian government, the figures being touted as subsidy still don’t add up. This is why:
 
Difference between pump price before and after subsidy removal =
N141.00 – N65.00 = N76.00
 
Total spent on subsidizing petrol to our neighbours annually =
N76.00 x 9.18 million litres x 365 days = N255 billion
 
If you take the N255 billion away from the N617 billion shortfall that the government cannot explain, there is still a shortfall of N362 billion. The government still needs to tell us what/who is eating up this N362 billion ($2.26 billion USD).
 
      ILLOGICAL ASSUMPTIONS
i)                    We have assumed that there are no working refineries in Nigeria and so no local petrol production whatsoever – yet, there is, even if the refineries are working below capacity.
ii)                  Nigeria actually consumes 34 million litres of petrol per day. Most experts disagree and give a figure between 20 and 25 million litres per day. Yet there is still an unexplainable shortfall even if we use the exaggerated figure of the government.
iii)                Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cameroun, Niger, and Chad all consume the same rate as Nigeria and get 50% of their petrol illegally from Nigeria through smuggling.
 
These figures simply show the incompetence and insincerity of our government officials. This is pure banditry.
 
9)      FACT 9: The simplest part of the fuel subsidy arithmetic will reveal one startling fact: That the government does not need to subsidise our petrol at all if we reject corruption and sleaze as a way of life. Check this out:
 
a)      NNPC crude oil allocation for local consumption = 400,000 barrels per day (from a total of 2.450 million barrels per day).
b)      If our refineries work at just 30%, 280,000 barrels can be sold on the international market, leaving the rest for local production.
c)      Money accruing to the federal government through NNPC on the sale, using $80/bbl – a conservative figure as against the current price of $100/bbl – would be $22.4m per day. Annually this translates to $8.176bn or N1.3 trillion.
d)     The government does not need to subsidise our petrol imports - at least not from the Federation Account. The same crude that should have been refined by NNPC is simply sold on the international market (since our refineries barely work) and the money is used to buy petrol. The 400,000 barrels per day given to NNPC for local consumption can either be refined by NNPC or sold to pay for imports. This absurdity called subsidy should be funded with this money, not the regular FGN budget.
 
If the FGN uses it regular budget for subsidising petrol, then what happens to the crude oil given to NNPC for local refining that gets sold on the international market?
 
10)  TACTICAL BLUNDER
The federal government is making the deregulation issue a revenue problem. Nigerians are not against deregulation. We have seen deregulation in the telecom sector and Nigerians are better for it, as even the poor have access to telephones now right before the eyes of those who think it is not for them. What is happening presently is not deregulation but an all-time high fuel pump increase, unprecedented in the history of our nation by a government that has gone broke due to excessive and reckless spending largely on themselves. If the excesses of all the three tiers of government are seriously curbed, that would free enough money for infrastructural development without unduly punishing the poor citizens of this country.
 
Let me just cite, in closing, the example of National Assembly excesses and misplaced spending as contained in the 2012 budget proposal:
 
Number of Senators                                                                    109
Number of Members of the House of Representatives              360
Total Number of Legislators                                                         469
2012 Budget Proposal for the National Assembly                       N150 billion
Average Cost of Maintaining Each Member                                N320 million
Average Cost of Maintaining Each Member in USD                    $2.1 million/year
 
Time has come for the citizens of this country to hold the government accountable and demand the prosecution of those bleeding our nation to death. Until this government downsizes, cuts down its profligacy and leads by example in modesty and moderation, the poor people of this country will not and must not subsidise the excesses of the oil sector fat cats and the immorality cum fiscal scandal of the self-centred and indulgent lifestyles of those in government.
 
Here is a hidden treasure of wisdom for those in power while there is still time to make amends:
 
PROVERBS 21:6&7
 
“Getting treasures by a lying tongue is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death. The violence of the wicked will destroy them because they refuse to do just.”
 
A word of counsel for those who voted for such soulishly indulgent leadership:
 
“Never trust a man who once had no shoes, or you may end up losing your legs.”
 
This is the conclusion of the matter on subsidy removal:
 
i)                    “If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his servants become wicked.” (Proverbs 29:12)
ii)                  “The Righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness. Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and will not be heard.” (Proverbs 21:12&13)
Thanks for your attention. God bless you all.
 
Pastor ‘Tunde Bakare
Sunday, January 15, 2012

https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150601335639783

United States has added its voice to the nationwide protests by Nigerians over the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, saying it was monitoring the situation in Nigeria “very closely.”



In the same vein, it has also condemned statements credited to the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which ordered Christians to leave the North and also claimed responsibility for the strings of deadly attacks on churches.



Responding to questions on the situation in Nigeria during press briefings at the State Department in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Ms. Victoria Nuland, said, “Obviously, there are a lot of complicated issues that the government of Nigeria is dealing with, and some of these have become interlinked. So we’re obviously monitoring the situation very, very closely.”

When asked whether US fears that the situation may worsen if oil workers join the strike on Sunday, Nuland said, “we’re not going to get into crystal balling this situation. If things remain peaceful, then you’re seeing a peaceful representation of popular opinion that the government needs to take into account. But at the same time, it’s incumbent on the government to encourage an environment that remains peaceful.”

Commenting further on the protests trailing the removal of fuel subsidy, Nuland said, “In the context of the nationwide strikes on the fuel situation, our view on that is that the Nigerian people have the right to peaceful protest, we want to see them protest peacefully, and we’re also urging the Nigerian security services to respect the right of popular protest and conduct themselves professionally in dealing with the strikes.”

Nuland said the view of US had neither changed in terms of the right of people to protest peacefully, nor on “the expectation that, as they protest peacefully, assuming they protest peacefully, that Nigerian security services will respect those rights and conduct themselves professionally.”



Also at an earlier press briefing, the US official noted recent statements issued by the Nigerian militant Islamic sect adding that such statements by “purported” Boko Haram spokesman was “intended to inflame Muslim and Christian tensions.”

She said, “From our perspective, Nigeria derives enormous strength from its ethnic and religious diversity. And this is something that the government needs to capitalize on, and clearly Boko Haram is trying to rip the country apart.”



Condemning the violence credited to Boko Haram, Nuland urged Nigerian government “to hold accountable those who are responsible for these attacks, while protecting innocent civilians in the in – as they pursue their law enforcement activities.”
She said, “extremist groups, like Boko Haram, were trying to play on some of the tensions inside Nigeria – some of the unsatisfied grievances in the north – and use those as excuses for this kind of violence.”

Urging Nigerian government to do whatever it could to redress those grievances, she said, “but we, under no circumstances, consider that this is an excuse for violence.”
On whether US considers Boko Haram and al-Qaida in the Maghreb as a threat to its interests in Africa, Nuland said, “we’ve made clear that anybody who is conducting terrorism of any kind is a threat both to the region and is a threat to our shared interest in peace and stability, of course.”



The US official also noted some of the “strong statements” by President Goodluck Jonathan, adding, “He’s obviously working hard to address these issues and that needs to continue.”

Responding to a question on the warning by nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, that Nigeria may be heading for a civil war, she said, “we have concerns about what Boko Haram is doing about efforts to create and exacerbate existing tensions between Christians and Muslims in the country – North/South.



“We are supporting the efforts of the Nigerian Government to try to get a handle on that. On top of that, as you’ve probably seen, we also have nationwide strikes now in Nigeria in response to lifting of fuel subsidies. So that is adding another layer to the difficulties in Nigeria.”

Culled: Thisday

[size=15pt]BREAKING NEWS: Talks breakdown, NLC/TUC says no agreement to end strike[/size]

Posted by NigerianEye at 12:23 AM

The result of the meeting between the Nigerian government and labor unions failed on Saturday night to end a paralyzing nationwide strike over high gasoline costs, potentially sparking an oil production shutdown in a nation vital to U.S. oil supplies.

Nigeria Labor Congress president Abdulwaheed Omar told journalists outside the presidential palace: "We have not reached a compromise." He avoided answering direct questions about whether oil production would shut down in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria had threatened to stop all oil production in Nigeria at midnight. President Babatunde Ogun was not immediately available for comment.

Nigeria, which produces about 2.4 million barrels of crude a day, is the fifth-largest oil exporter to the U.S. While the country has a several-week stock of oil ready for export, the threatened shutdown Sunday could shake oil futures as traders remained concerns about worldwide supply.

The strike began Monday, paralyzing the nation of more than 160 million people. The root cause remains gasoline prices: President Goodluck Jonathan's government abandoned subsidies that kept fuel prices low. On Jan. 1, causing prices to spike from 65 Naira per liter to 141 Naira per liter.

The costs of food and transportation also largely doubled in a nation where most people live on less than $1 a day.
Anger over losing one of the few benefits average Nigerians see from being an oil-rich country, as well as disgust over government corruption, have led to demonstrations across this nation and violence that has killed at least 10 people. Red Cross volunteers have treated more than 600 people injured in protests since the strike began, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday.

The Struggle Continues.

http://www.nigerianeye.com/2012/01/breaking-news-talks-breakdown-nlctuc.html

It is getting more interesting daily at the number of Nigerian top celebrities, who earlier supported President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,now coming out to leave him alone in the cold.

Some have interpreted the actions of some of these celebrities as legendary, while others believe they are just trying to get public sympathy back, after initially loosing it during the elections period in 2011.

Some top celebrities that have denounced their earlier support for President Jonathan, especially on the removal of fuel subsidy, are Don Jazzy, Segun Arinze, D'Banj, and others.

The latest Nigerian celebrity, who vigorously campaigned for President Jonathan with his"Goodluck to you, Goodluck to me, Goodluck to everybody" song, Daddy Showkey, has openly lashed out on Mr President.

Speaking to a mammoth crowd at the OccupyNigeria protest at Ojota,Lagos today, the dreadlocked Deltan singer confessed, "I am ashamed and regretted that I campaigned for this man (President Jonathan).

The removal of fuel subsidy has caused a lot of upset in the Nigerian polity. It has also caused a nationwide strike by labour unions in the country, with the strike entering its fourth day today.

Story by Osaremen Ehi James

http://www.talkofnaija.com/News/newsdetailsone.aspx?NewsId=DA79EBDF-E416-43C1-ABE8-45E659C63670

PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, yesterday raised alarm that some identified leaders militant groups in the Niger Delta and some other unidentified ones have been threatening the the lives of its leaders, especially the president’s, Comrade Babatunde Ogun and the Lagos Zonal Chairman, Reverend Folorunsho Oginni, since the association threatened to shut down upstream sector of the Petroleum industry, including export terminals over the refusal of the Federal Government to revert to N65 per litter of petrol as being demanded by Nigerians.

In a statement by PENGASSAN, however said the association remained undaunted because of the interest of Nigerians was above any individual or region, saying the issue at hand had no ethnic coloration.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/militants-threatening-us-pengassan/

By Bill Van Auken
10 January 2012

Tens of thousands of Nigerians took to the streets Monday at the start of an indefinite nationwide general strike against the government’s lifting of fuel subsidies, which led gasoline prices to double overnight.

By Monday evening, at least three protesters were reported killed and many wounded as security forces responded to unarmed demonstrators with live ammunition, tear gas and baton charges.

While called by the country’s two main trade union federations, the strike movement began as a wave of nationwide protests which, in many areas, adopted the name Occupy Nigeria, in identification with movements in the United States and elsewhere that have broken out in opposition to economic deprivation and social inequality.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced the scrapping of the fuel subsidies on New Year’s Day, resulting in an immediate doubling of gasoline prices from the equivalent of $1.70 per gallon ($0.45 per liter) to $3.50 per gallon ($0.94 per liter) or higher.

In Lagos, over ten thousand demonstrators poured into the city’s Gani Fewehinni park. Singing and chanting slogans against “Badluck Jonathan”, the protesters carried placards, many of them hand-written, with slogans such as “Subsidy removal is a huge economic fraud”, “Nigeria is not Animal Farm”, and “The poor will have nothing to eat but the rich.” One popular poster portrayed Jonathan with a devil’s horns and fangs pumping gas at a filling station. Large numbers of youth marched waving sticks and tree boughs.

The strike shut schools, government offices, businesses, banks and public transportation, leaving the streets of Lagos and other major cities empty except for demonstrators and heavily armed police.

In the political capital of Abuja, pickets shut down the airport, halting all flights. The BBC reported that police using tear gas drove away youth who had occupied the city’s Eagle Square.

In Lagos, protesters occupied a major highway, setting bonfires and burning tires. In the Ogba neighborhood of the city, however, the police opened fire on demonstrating youth, killing one and wounding several others. Angry youth wheeled the body of the slain demonstrator through the streets in a wheelbarrow, vowing revenge.

The worst repression took place in the northern city of Kano, where the government reported two killed, while residents said that at least three had died. Police opened fire on demonstrators after they laid siege to the state Government House. The local Red Cross reported at least 30 injured, most of them suffering gunshot wounds.

On Monday night, the state government announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Kano, which is the capital of the state bearing the same name.

In Kano and other cities, demonstrators have invoked the upheavals that toppled the Western-backed dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt, referring to the areas of protest as “Tahrir Square”.

The strike came in defiance of an appeal made by President Jonathan in a televised speech delivered Saturday, in which he sought to deflect popular anger by announcing 25 percent pay cuts for himself and top government officials: “Tough choices have to be made to safeguard the economy and our collective survival as a nation.”

Such “tough choices”, however impose no hardship on Nigeria’s wealthy elite and corrupt politicians, while spelling hunger and misery for the masses of working people and poor. The fuel hike has led to a spiraling of food prices, transportation costs, school fees and other basic necessities, in a country where the great majority of its 160 million people subsist on $2 or less a day, and over half of the work force is unemployed. Gasoline is also a major source of power as the electrical system is in shambles, and many depend upon gas generators.

Nigeria, the second-largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, has since the 1970s been almost wholly dependent upon petroleum exports for its foreign earnings. The ruling elite has enriched itself by looting the country’s oil wealth, while allowing basic infrastructure to disintegrate and leaving the masses destitute.

Jonathan and his minister of finance and economy, former World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, have presented the scrapping of the fuel subsidy as a necessary reform to modernize the country’s economy.

Last month, International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde paid a visit to Nigeria, where she praised Jonathan’s commitment to “free market” reforms. “I was extremely impressed with, the energy and pace at which he wants to transform the economy,” she said, undoubtedly referring to the planned shock measure of eliminating the fuel subsidy.

While Nigeria produces over 2 million barrels of crude oil a day, its neglected state-owned refineries cannot meet more than a small fraction of the country’s domestic fuel needs. As a result, fuel is imported from abroad, and the government paid a reported $8 billion last year to make up the difference between world market prices demanded by international energy firms and the price fixed by the state.

Jonathan and his backers argue that instead of using billions to subsidize fuel prices, the money could be directed toward improving the country’s infrastructure, while deregulation of the oil sector could attract foreign capital to modernize its refining sector.

His is by no means the first attempt to put an end to the subsidy. It has been tried repeatedly by previous governments, only to meet with mass resistance. Even the brutal dictatorship of Gen. Sani Abacha, which ruled Nigeria in the 1990s, was forced, in the face of popular opposition, to back down from a bid to scrap the subsidy.

The broad majority of the working population does not believe that money diverted from the subsidies will go to improve infrastructure or better their lives. On the contrary, Nigerian workers understand from bitter experience that the billions of dollars coming from a subsidy cut would, instead, be funneled into the foreign bank accounts of the country’s corrupt ruling oligarchy and its international business associates.

The US State Department used the day of the general strike as the occasion for issuing a formal condemnation of violence by Boko Haram, an Islamist group in the north of the country that was blamed for over 500 deaths last year. This included the Christmas Day bombings of a Catholic church and other targets that claimed 49 lives.

The group, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege”, is a fundamentalist religious sect which has grown on the basis of deep-seated grievances in the predominantly Muslim north of the country, Nigeria’s most impoverished region. But Washington has sought to link it to Al-Qaeda as a means of furthering US intervention in the oil-rich country. The Pentagon is already providing Nigerian troops with counter-terror training and supplying arms and “advisers”.

Despite efforts to whip up sectarian divisions—and dire warnings from Jonathan that Nigeria is facing a worse threat than the civil war of the 1960s, which claimed over a million lives—the general strike and the preceding protests have demonstrated that the social and class questions in Nigeria, as elsewhere, outweigh sectarian concerns. Muslims and Christians have demonstrated and struck together throughout the country, and in the north, Muslim youth turned out to guard Christian churches on Sunday, while Christian youth did the same at local mosques.

https://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/jan2012/nige-j10.shtml

AjCityOne:
Can't you guys see that the Jona administration have recruited a handsful of people to go online and promote their agender. Go to everyline online forums and you will see them writing in the favour of the removal. I have compiled most of the argument being made by them, so anytime you see the following:

(1) When government deregulated diesel nothing happened, everyone seem to be going about their business. Why now?

My answer to that is that, how many people use diesel to fuel their car, generator to power their home, office and workshop, fuel to move food stuff, raw material aroiund the country.

(2) Nigerian don't understand that government is saving all these money to do something better for the country.

My answer to that is that nigeria government is riddles with corruption from the lower to the higher level of government and they are telling us that this money will be distributed mong states govenment, local goventment and some govenment bodies that we all know are corrupt to the highiest level. No wonder no Governor, Local government chairman have come out  in support of the preotest because they know more money will be coming their way and that property they cannot afford in Dubai will be a thing of the past.

doctokwus:
The poster is definitely not in support of d crime,he/she is using d #occupy nigeria symbol as a camouflage,this is govt agent in transparent disguise

On January 9th, 2012, there will be massive protests against the removal of fuel subsidy across Nigeria, barring any intervention. As one who has handled a large amount of criminal defense cases within the past ten (10) years of practicing law, I know that when there is a massive gathering like the ones anticipated protesting actions by the establishment, it increases the likelihood of altercations and arrests. Accordingly, this is a cheat sheet on what to do if you are arrested in Nigeria while protesting against the removal of fuel subsidy this upcoming Monday. Share this article with as many people as possible and tell them to share with others that will also be protesting.

What You Should Know if Arrested While Protesting in Nigeria

         [b]1. Chapter IV, Sections 39 and 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives you the  constitutional right to a freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. [/b]This is a guaranteed right and means you may assemble and protest peacefully against the removal of fuel subsidy, as you intend to.
         2. You DO NOT, under the constitution, have a right to fight, steal, hit others or engage in any criminal activity or conduct just because you are protesting. Such actions means you can and will most likely be arrested, charged if you are lucky, and prosecuted. If you are unlucky, as many incarcerated defendants in Nigeria’s jails and prisons are, then you could be arrested and detained indefinitely i.e. locked up and the keys thrown away with absolutely no due process accorded to you, despite the due process mandate provided in Nigeria’s constitution.
         3. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), an organization that regulates lawyers and the practice of law in Nigeria, is available, per the decree/order of the NBA President Joseph ’Bodunrin Daudu, to provide  free legal services to secure your release and dismissal of charges filed against you; should you be arrested while legitimately protesting against the removal of fuel subsidy.
         4. You should have the contacts of the appropriate NBA staff handy. For all contacts visit the NBA here. Lagosians, I have listed at the end of this article, NBA representatives and their contacts to have handy culled from the website.
         5. Finally, understand your legal rights and how Nigeria’s Criminal Procedure works when you are arrested. The gist of it is as follows:

What Court has the Power to Hear Your Criminal Case if you are Arrested While Protesting?

The State Federal High Court where you are arrested. This means, for example,  if you are arrested in Lagos, then expect Lagos courts to have jurisdiction (power) to hear your case. Please review the structure of Nigeria’s Legal system here.

What Law Governs?
Nigeria’s Federal Criminal Procedure Act and the respective state criminal procedure laws.

What is Criminal Procedure?
It is the rules of the criminal justice system that help your criminal defense lawyer, prosecutors, judges and the police navigate the criminal courts. This is independent from Nigeria’s Federal Penal Code. The Penal Code sets forth the actual criminal violations you allegedly committed. For example, breach of the peace, unlawful assembly, battery, assault etc.

What Can You Be Charged with While Protesting?
If you do not commit any criminal act, hopefully nothing. If you do, then you can be hit with felony and/or misdemeanor charges. For example, Felony criminal assault, misdemeanor battery etc.

What is a Felony? What is a Misdemeanor?
When a defendant is arrested, with or without a warrant, they have a right to know what they are charged with i.e. the basis for the arrest. Nigeria’s prosecutors can charge criminal defendants with felony and/or misdemeanors offenses. In Nigeria, a felony carries 3years or more prison term while a misdemeanor carries 6months (at a minimum) to 3years jail/prison term.

What Happens When a Person is Arrested in Nigeria?

    * Nigeria’s Constitution requires when a police effectuates an arrest without a warrant AND the crime is a non-capital offense, they must release the defendant on bail; IF they cannot bring the defendant before a court within 24hours from the time they arrested and detained such defendant.

How About Bail? How Does that Work?
The police have the broad discretion per the Criminal Procedure Act to determine whether they will grant a criminal defendant bail. The judges/judiciary tend to be passive letting the police basically do whatever they want to do. This creates opportunities of abuse that has been ongoing for decades within the legal justice system, specifically detentions without trials.

How Bad Does it Get with Detentions Without Trials in Nigeria?
According to data collected by human rights organizations within  and outside Nigeria, most of the people who are in Nigeria’s jail/prison system are persons detained without trial who ended up being detained for 16-40years. The outcry from the international community over these atrocities has been huge but it has not really made much of a difference.

I salute and commend all Nigerians fighting for what they believe and will continue to provide as much resources and information as I can that will be helpful to you. Please be safe and understand the issues. You might be asked to articulate your understanding of the issues by a TV reporter or print news media. It would be very helpful if you have a clear grasp of the issues and are protesting because of what you believe because the world is watching.

http://africamusiclaw.com/2012/01/occupynigeria-what-you-should-know-if-arrested-while-protesting-in-nigeria.html

No going back on subsidy removal -FEC

JANUARY 4, 2012 BY LEKAN ADETAYO, ABUJA 415 COMMENTS
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday said it would not rescind the removal of the subsidy on petroleum products.

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, told newsmen at the end of the emergency FEC meeting at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja, that government was not unmindful of the pains being experienced by Nigerians, as a result of the action.

He said the Federal Government had commenced a ‘massive mass transit scheme’ to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on transportation. Under the scheme, thousands of mass transit vehicles are to be distributed.

He was joined by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; and the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar.

The emergency meeting, which was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, began at 12. 15p.m and around 3.30pm.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Labour Minister, Emeka Wogu; and the Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, were among those in attendance.
Absent from the meeting were Finance Minister, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; and Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Dieziani Alison-Madueke.

FEC last met on December 21 and adjourned till January 11.

http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-summons-emergency-fec-meeting/

Dear Dr. Goodluck;

With the best wishes for you and your family, we hope you thinking of the citizens of your Nation in this new year, 2012; people who are being exploited and subjugated while you continue to pile up your lootings. What else can be worse than your Presidency? We were elated when we learned of your opportunity to replace those warned out Rogues (Army Rejects) not knowing that you are the same in flesh. We thought you are highly educated so you must understand the suffering of the people of Nigeria and will reasonably pave better exit for them. We thought you were GOD sent but we spoke too soon. Where is your integrity and humility? Why are you so shameless? Lacking in every aspect of humanity. Jonathan spending and looting Nigeria treasury like a drunken sailor. Do we all warship the same GOD? The judgment day is at hand and you all bastard will account for your misdeeds. This is too much to bear. The lousy simple fuel subsidy that can help the deprived is planned to terminate while this fund will wind up in one of your many bank accounts. SHAME SHAME SHAME ON YOU ALL. NIGERIANS GET OFF YOU ASSES AND SAY NO MORE OF THIS HOGWASH.

Jonathan is getting bold and bolder everyday. He has not achieved a single legislative agenda since in the office, all promises including that you would provide uninterrupted electricity in the first eight months of your first term, but non kept on top of millions you looting: When is this going to end? When is Nigeria going to revolt and say enough is enough? Jonathan is even worse than the Army rejects who were the last Office Holders.

N280 million for two bullet proof Mercedes Benz saloon 600 E Guard at N140 million each
N356.72 million for new vehicles in the presidential fleet
5 Mercedes Benz 350 (semi plain/partial bullet proof) at N25 million each, 10 jeeps (assorted Range Rover, Prado and Land Cruiser) at N10 million each, and accessories for these vehicles will cost N25 million
N57.43 million to upgrade facilities at the Presidential Villa
N127.50 million to overhaul power generating sets
N512.385 million to refurbish the family wing of the main residence
N385.35 million for land reclamation at the State House Medical Centre
N101.67 million for the rehabilitation of transformer substation in the villa
N97.95 million for extension/expansion of State House car parks (The more SUVs and cars you accumulate the more ground you need to park them in)
N108 million for communication equipment at the Villa, Dodan Barracks and vice president's guest house
N36.88 million to rehabilitate presidential/ministerial chalet at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, despite spending/budgeting N48 million for this last year
N52.87 million to rehabilitate 10 presidential houses on Ibrahim Taiwo Street, Abuja, despite allocating/spending N101 million
N530.57 million to rehabilitate the State House and Dodan Barracks, despite spending/allocating N628.64 million this year on the two properties
N357.731 million for repairs and renovation of the administrative building at the Villa, despite allocating/spending N302.29 million on this last year
N62.23 million for the rehabilitation of the banquet hall dome roof, despite allocating/spending N81 million on the roof last year.
N992.57 million for feeding the president and the vice president USA

holluwizzy:
Pastor slapping a member and my guy that quote the bible and ( the kingdom of God suffer wetin) guy luck-up.
not in this modern day people u go slap like that ooo, the girl is from Imo state . he should try it with worri boys or girl.
when them slap am back him go dey reason how the two side of life be for Nija.

and stop saying that he is slapping the devil in the girl. Noooooooooooo

because GOD himself just stare @ the demons before they went to board BRT wey get accident. lolz