REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY: PROTEST NOW OR CONTINUE SUFFERING!

By Seun Luseun Adeogun 

January 1 2011.

The worst New Year gift Nigerians have ever received in the last fifty years is the removal of subsidy on petroleum by the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. This is action is simile considered to be a criminal & barbaric act from the presidency. It shows how insensitive, barbaric and inconsiderate the government of the day is.

In actual fact, the foolishness of a myopic majority who voted for Goodluck Ebere Jonathan in the April 2011 polls out of their irrational empathy has brought us to this state of socio-economic afflictions. This present government is a corruption induced government and it’s of no different from the previous administrations in Nigeria.

It is time for the average Nigerian to take to streets and protest peacefully and massively against GEJ’s insensibility and hatred to the Nigerian populace. We can’t continue to suffer extremely while the government is living large on public funds. We must frustrate inhumane gestures by this government. 

The present Nigeria predicament is characterised with massive graduate and youth unemployment, insecurity of lives and properties, enormous socio-economic crises, high level of corruption most especially in government, its agencies, departments and parastatals. Amidst all these, the presidency without remorse is spending and budgeting huge amounts of money to run an inactive, purposeless and clueless government with an array of special advisers and unneeded aides.

In a matter of time, the subsidy removed will result into companies downsizing due to increase in the cost of running businesses, there would be 100% increase in transportation fares across all transportation sectors, and this will have adverse effect on food prices and other commodities. And the common man would be the most affected!

Have you seen anywhere in the world where a government with all its powers and authority, finds it hard to fight a cabal within its territory? A government that is not ready to live by example by reducing its cost of running government but find it so easy to force the populace to make the sacrifices isn’t worth existing!

If the administration of Goodluck Jonathan finds it hard to fight corruption, then he should resign! We can continue like this. What is the essence of being a Nigerian when the populace can’t enjoy anything worthy as citizens!

It’s quite unfortunate that the present administration that finds it very difficult to fight corruption in its domain still find it easy to plan to use the same corrupt system & method to manage funds diverted from the fuel subsidy removal;. this shows the government has no direction. The problem with Nigeria is not unavailability of fund rather it is the ineffective and corrupt management of funds. What has been happening to all the previous proceeds from the hike in petroleum products in the past ten years? 

Former president Obasanjo promised that the proceeds from fuel hikes during his administration would be used to build basic infrastructures across the federation, what are the evidences today?

kudos to those of us out there to protest....for those thinking we are fools, fine  right where you are, you will soon be negatively affected by the fuel subsidy removal!