Details have emerged on how security advice forced President Muhammadu Buhari, to make a U-turn on the decision to remove fuel subsidy.
An impeccable security source said that intelligence handed over to the President by security officials showed that the protests that would have accompanied the subsidy removal might have been far worse than the #EndSARS demonstrations, mass protests against police brutality that grounded many parts of the country in 2020.
The official, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the press, said the President was eager to implement the Petroleum Industry Act which would have ensured that subsidy was removed by June and investments in the oil sector increased.
He further stated that the government was afraid that such protests would have easily been hijacked by the opposition and affected the chances of the All Progressives Congress in next year’s election.
The official added, “The police, DSS, the National Intelligence Agency and the Office of the National Security Adviser usually send security reports to the President on the impact of sensitive issues like fuel subsidy. Reports given to the President showed that the protests being planned by unions would have been 10 times bigger than the #EndSARS protests.
“Petrol price was projected to increase to about N350 if the international price of oil continues to rise. This would have increased the cost of everything and encouraged everyone to take to the streets.
“They also drew the President’s attention to the coups sweeping many African countries and how the protests could have been hijacked by the opposition. This was why the President not only delayed subsidy removal but transferred the responsibility to the next government.”
Former President Goodluck Jonathan had in 2012 faced a similar challenge when he removed petrol subsidy forcing the price to rise from N65 per litre to N140.
The incident sparked protests in several parts of the country especially in Lagos where thousands converged on Ojota for over a week, grounding commercial activities in the country’s commercial capital.
“Some ministers actually advised the President to go ahead with subsidy removal because of the potential investments that deregulation would bring. But the President could not have taken such advice. The country is currently facing insecurity in several states, people are hungry. Outright removal of subsidy would have led to a rise in the cost of goods and protests. The alternative given to the President is to increase fuel price slightly. This could be done gradually by adding N3 or N5 periodically,” he said.
When one of our correspondents called the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on the phone on Thursday for a reaction, he declined making any comments on the issue
But, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, had in an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme on Wednesday, said subsidy removal would have forced Nigeria into a tailspin.
Adesina added, “If that subsidy had been removed, it would have been a show of will that we want to solve this problem (oil fraud). There was a will but if you have a will and what you want to do will upturn the system, throw the country into a tailspin, then you would have to reconsider, you will weigh it. That is why further consultations will still happen.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union had last year said it would on Thursday (yesterday) and February 2 embarked on nationwide protests against government’s plan to remove fuel subsidy.
But on Tuesday, the union shelved the protests following government decision to shift fuel subsidy removal by 18 months and amend the Petroleum Act, whose implementation was earlier scheduled to start in June.
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After all the raking and boasting that a law has been passed, stipends would be paid, the 2022 budget didn’t make provisions for this year’s subside, all the noises and defences the Presidential Aides, mounted on why the short sighted citizens must understand this new drive; then all of a sudden- Fuel subside policy has been postponed by 18 months well after the electioneering 😂😂😂🤣😂😂😂😂.
You can’t keep up with ordinary Refinery maintenance (TAM) but you can arrest sorry ‘crack down’ on criminals refining Fuel locally. Light has never worked for 24 hours for over 60years of existence as a nation yet the successive leadership cannot farm the 🌞 or the wind or reinvent the hydro-electricty system or if that technology is Greek to them, they cannot find a way round the Kanji-Dam problem of generating and distribution.
You can’t harness the geniuses dotted around the country inventing or innovating something new neither can you have a collation hub where these brains can be farmed and their ingenuity exploited but you can give complementary cards to your ward -‘bearer is my ward, please assist’!!!!!
You can’t farm the desert nor make water to flow other than irrigation neither can you convert the thousands of hectres of arable land into mechanized farmlands with creative and innovative produces whether organic or natural but you can use billions to construct 1 or 2 roads and bridges for what would have been used to do more.
You can’t challenge citizens on a goal that the country would be ready to reward any genius on creativity for smart cities, smart transportation routes and systems, smart houses, smart households equipment, etc… but you can travel abroad for pilgrimages and tourism to see what your mates are doing with the same brains you have.
You can’t produce a bullet but you can crack down on criminals producing firearms locally, you can’t build roads that will last 10 years without portholes and resistance to rain but you can approve trillions to contractors……..
You can’t make intelligent articulation or decisions neither can you appiont those smarter than the way you think, assimilate intelligent ideas and contributions that are subjected to sound reasoning but you must rig elections and think to create chaos for you to remain like a National statue of adoration from staked illiterates and functional illiterates people.
You cannot have a population policy due to so called religious beliefs and aged longed cultural practices that can help to checkmate child birth especially for the low income families that breed children that eventually become foot soilders, bandits, kidnappers, yahoo boys or criminals but you can think and contemplate on fuel subsides removal.
You can’t conduct a clean and fair Census to truly appreciate and understood the exact statistics of this country because of political undertones but how much the country generates even though the system is sin soaked in illusion of corruption in every sectors of the economy.
You can’t find a permanent solution to insecurities whether terrorism, Banditry, kidnappings, unknown gunmen, cultism, rising sucide rates, cyber crimes and attacks… because your only way of thinking is that the military and nation’s securities must be stretched beyond their limits, killing abled bodied men and women for a course that you caused due to your serialized incompetence over the 60 wasted years of forged leadership.
Though some of us still believe in one Nigeria, it is however, one of the most painful and regretful place to live in and that’s why there’s mass emigration, making listening to news so abhorrent because it’s filled with sacarsim.
I really wonder the type of animals the developed climes think we are!!!!!
‘Nigeria is Under Siege’ and is sliding into ‘Swivet’