By: Deacon Stanley Davies Olunogun
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR on 29th May, 2023 in his inaugural address to Nigerians and the world affirmed that the era of fuel subsidy has gone. And this became a Law which cannot be reversed until certain processes have been taken.
There were agitations and expressions from different quarters in support and against the pronouncement.
To many who found this appropriate, I have join others to give reasonable advice on the issue to government, which brought up today the topic “Now That The Fuel Subsidy Has Been Removed”.
It’s pertinent to inform all pessimists that there is no time as germane as now when the President announced what he did not originate. The greatest favour he has to do for this country is that the removal should be made permanent.
To make it permanent, the removal should be followed with commitments in various sectors of the economy.
Some of the Nigerians who sojourn abroad often say “There is no place like home, but the home has been bastardised by the Politicians”. This is why it has been difficult for them to come back viewing the hardships those at home are facing in hands of the politicians.
For the reduction of these hardships, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken the bull by the horns. The first step is for him to take is not to increase work force salary as being advocated by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) which is not people oriented in its dealings but for the President to roll out palliatives which will affect all public utilities such as Mass Transit across the nation resuscitation; Roads infrastructure; Stabilisation of the Electricity sectors (Generation, Transmission and Distribution); Food security; insecurity; etc. The effects in these sectors are felt by majority of the populace and not by the shylock and egocentric individuals.
The administration of the President should thereafter make sincere commitments in the Petroleum sector in the area of Refinery and Petrochemical. Foreign partners could be engaged to buy all the country moribund refineries, repair them, produce and sell to the people while the government agrees on payback percentage as revenues to take care of other necessities of the economy.
We have no time to waste on ways to stabilise the tension of detractors on the government. They needed to see things are working out for them through government policies to reluctantly believe to support.
I am seizing this opportunity to express congratulations to the lucky ones who have been chosen by the President to tackle these tasks headlong while appealing once more for restraints to cause the Venezuelan example. We need peace which promotes advancements, unity and even developments.
The personality of our President is not carefree about the myriad of problems facing every citizen in particular and the entire nation in general, therefore he can be trusted with important matters like those of subsidy removal.
So help us God.
Deacon Stanley Davies Olunogun
BabaPress/Onigege Ara
