By Comrade AbdulRahman Agboola
As core loyalists of the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, in the face of diverse reactions over the petrol pump price recently announced by the Federal Government, silence would have been golden, especially when other co-loyalists have declared their unalloyed support to the policy, but our background doesn’t permit neutrality, we strongly align with the maxim that states that the darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.
The opposition party is nonexistent in Nigeria as of today, the Peoples Democratic Party is worth just a tissue paper, bunch of misguided elements with no analytical minds and sound intellectual prowess to oppose government policies, compared with what was witnessed when the ruling party was the opposition. In the old order, by now, the heat would have been very unbearable for the government and the best the PDP platform could offer to the masses as opposition party, is to accuse the actors of the present administration of accepting the removal of subsidies they opposed years ago as opposition, what a shame to the shameless looters of our commonwealth that put us in the present economic mess.
The reminder of the marginal victory of President Buhari at the last poll comes to fore, just to caution some of his allies who are gradually growing wings and becoming arrogant, with their perfectionists stance to government policies and unfounded believe of riding on populace heavy strength to Aso Rock, there is a limit to every stretch, one Anti-Masses Policy today, others tomorrow, will fetch peoples anger as witnessed in the past. To remain in the good book of the populace, their interest must be collectively ultimate in our minds; else the people have means of correcting their mistakes, even with worse mistakes, while they care less, in their carelessness.
Among the strong support base of the present administration before Presidential Elections and after, were key leaders of Nigeria Labour Congress and notable Civil Society Organisations but today, due to the opposition of the Nigeria Labour Congress to the new N145 petrol pump price announced by government, the Non-State Actors and other government frontiers have commenced actions to break the ranks of NLC over a call for Industrial Strike Action to call the government to order and seek a reversal of the new pump price.
It was the regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida that successfully weakened the strength of Nigeria Labour Congress before the emergence of Adams Oshiomhole that restored the strength of the congress, as platform for agitations in the best interest of the workforce primarily and the rest of the people secondarily. NLC Leadership has been alleged of several goofs and inactions in their line of duties and calls have been made to discountenance their moves to make the government accountable for the policy, but should we hold the new leadership of NLC accountable for the alleged errors of previous leadership.
Where the opposition of a section of the public to the new petrol pump price is tied to the timing, they echoed that the present hardship will multiply with the policy, we respect their thoughts, though with reservations, others are pursuing vendetta over the roles of several actors of this government against same policy years ago, we respect their thoughts as well, but with deeper reservations. In our opposition to the new petrol pump price, we consider the fact that the full deregulation of the oil downstream sector is long overdue and no time is odd for such an onerous task, but the masses must not be exploited in that process.
We are not disputing the fact that oil subsidy amounts to fraud by the independent oil marketers and we are aware that the 2016 Budget did not provides for subsidy, but our grouse with the new petrol pump price is the lack of sincerity by the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. NNPC claimed government has stopped payment of subsidy to oil marketers since January and Nigerians have groaned, but survived that era of intense scarcity and hording of Petrol, where black marketers reigned excessively without appropriate check by the government.
Our ultimate concern is that the secrecy shrouded in the operation and management of NNPC must be unraveled in the best interest of Nigeria, the Minister of States opined our refineries will function at optimal productivity level in six months time and he concluded that point will reverse the new price regulation and earn applause for government and if that fails and the exchange rates remain continuously high as present, then he might kill the good image of this administration by this uninformed and misleading policy.
Mass Action for God Governance and Grassroots Development in Nigeria strongly aligns with the call for Mass Actions and Industrial Strikes, by the fronts of genuine struggles- Joint Action Fronts, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and frontline Civil Society Organisations, in the best interest of the masses. Government must be held accountable and responsible for their actions, the same manner government stakeholders met briefly to announce a new petrol pump price without respect for the concerns of the poor masses, that same way, JAF, NLC, TUC and the rest of us must demand explanations from government.
Contrary to our expectations that the administration of President Buhari would combat corruption without pity and imprison the looters of our common wealth, over 11 months now, no one is found guilty yet, simply because the President is meticulous and doesn’t want to be labeled as anti-democratic or influencing the Judiciary, but that same government is courageous enough not to pity commoners, I don’t blame Mr President as we remain very loyal, but we will resist any anti-people’s policy.
Agboola is National Coordinator, Mass Action for Good Governance and Grassroots Developments in Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected] 08032813279
