Daring A Nation

May 28, 2007, the eve of former president Olusegun Obasanjo's exit from power, he announced the removal of oil subsidy making the pump price of gasoline jump to 75 naira per liter and the increase of value added tax VAT by 100%; many commentaries at this time condemned Obasanjo for setting a time bomb and trap for his successor.

A leading columnist at the time suggested to President Umar Yar'Adua to revert to the status quo after the nation was crippled by the successful sit-home strike called by the Nigerian Labor Congress and Trade Union Congress.

Rumor had it that some northern leaders called Yar’Adua to a room and advised him to discard Obasanjo’s ambush because it was during the two weeks ultimatum given by the labor that the Federal Government reversed itself on VAT and reduced the gas price to seventy Naira from the initial seventy five. Nigerians grudgingly accepted to cope with the new price that was to be later reversed by Yar’Adua who at the time said that Nigerian needed to benefit from the global crude price increase, gas has remained sixty five naira since then until President Goodluck Jonathan decided again to set his own time bomb and lay ambush for vacationing Nigerians that were still mourning the victims of Christmas day bombings of Boko Haram.

Since the government of Goodluck Jonathan mooted the idea of subsidy removal three months after his inauguration in May 2011, every Nigerian except those benefiting from the petroleum rot rose stoutly against it. All the consultations that the government initiated ended in deadlocks with the trade unions, social crusaders, political parties, students’ body, etc. cautioning the government to shelve the idea until certain issues are addressed. Prime among the issues was the fixing of the four refineries that are currently functioning below 20%capacity. Those in government don’t want this because they know that the moment the refineries begin near optimal capacity, they will no longer have subsidies to talk about or for them and their friends to pillage.
 
Former Heads of State and members of Council of States, Generals Yakubu Gowon and Muhammadu Buhari warned President Jonathan from going ahead with the subsidy removal, south west governors opposed the move, House of Representatives vowed to stop it, many leaders including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Professors Tam David West and Sam Aluko cautioned the president from going ahead with the idea. It was so obvious that the move was an unpopular one. But it appeared Jonathan needed no counsel claiming that with the information at his disposal, Nigerian economy would collapse if subsidy was not removed, the information still remains a privileged one. Every Nigerian with a contrary view wanted to destabilize his non focused and clueless government.

At a stage, the president with the connivance of some leading members of his cabinet resorted to deceits and outright lies; Nigeria’s unelected and unconstitutional Prime Minister, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala told the suspecting nation that government was yet undecided on the date to remove the phantom subsidy, at a time, a government official said it would be removed in April 2012. No government information machinery was ever so uncoordinated; not even during the dark ages of the military incursion that the country was so unfortunate with the style of leadership in Nigeria. The picture is getting clearer daily that Jonathan used his humble background as emotional bait to attain leadership without an iota of an idea of what to do with power.

The dust generated by the Christmas day bombings of churches in northern Nigeria by a religious group called Boko Haram is yet to settle when Jonathan also decided to inflict his government punishment on Nigerians on the first day of the year when the whole world was in a celebration mood. With his well-advertised incapacity to tackle the insurgence of Boko Haram that has turned itself to an alternative government in the North and the federal capital, President Jonathan has lost touch with the people and obviously no longer in sync with Nigerians he deceived with his Otueke story of going to school without shoes to become the president.

Democracy is rubbished whenever elected leader fails to gauge people’s opinion and accept superior arguments. Analysts have posited sufficient facts to dissuade the federal government from removing the subsidy at this time. What is the essence of a government that citizens don’t benefit from? The unfortunate part of this gamble by FG is that Nigerians will resist and the price will be reversed back close to the former but not any of the prices of commodities and services that have escalated in the past days will move an inch back to what it was on December 31, Jonathan has stabbed Nigerians at the back!

Now many Nigerians that travelled home for New Year holiday are stranded because of transport fare that has gone up by over 300%. It is rather sad that the darkness over the nation will go deeper now that people will no longer be able to fuel their generators; it is almost two years that Jonathan on Cable Networks News CNN lied to the world that he would fix the nation’s electricity within a short period; nothing has been achieved in this direction. The government blames a cartel for the subsidy yet the names they published as responsible are the same people they go to Obudu Ranch together for retreats, they are the same people seen in corridors of power every day.

Kudos to the men and women that have responded through protests to this government insensitivity; it is a reminder of our past and a semblance of the Arab Spring but they need to be more organized and better coordinated. The government is desperate and will deploy every means to break their ranks, it will attempt to raise rebels among the protesters and it has the capacity to do so, those that will steal the so called subsidy will also help government to fund the rebels. The ignorant and gullible police will be used to harass and kill protesters to keep people off streets, so much determination and tactics must be used to win the war declared against harmless Nigerians.

Nigerian Labor Congress NLC and Trade Union Congress TUC should take the lead. Most Nigerian live on daily income, hence the strike must not be too long on a stretch because this will make people strike-weary and this is what Abuja is waiting for to break the ranks. The protest may be shared among the six geopolitical zones on weekly or daily basis so that people can work and have food in their homes. This is a war that government must not be allowed to win. It is as if some people close to President Jonathan don’t want him to succeed and he was probably not smart enough by playing into their hands in taking this inhumane and anti-people decision. It is equal to daring a nation.

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