Occupy Nigeria; some more questions



The primary reason why we decided to OccupyNigeria in the first place is the monumental waste that we have seen over time. The government has vowed to cut cost, but what do we see? January 10^th Daily Sun has 5 full paged advert powered by Neighbour to Neighbour initiative. Simple question from me to whom it may concern: who funds the N2N?

Let us analyse the ridiculous submissions from the N2N on the front page of the said advert.

Were the poor really benefitting from petroleum subsidy?

Government’s subsidy on 1 litre of Petrol was N75.70

Mama lives in Maza village in Plateau State. She walks to her farm and back. Cook her meals with fire wood. She has no need to commute by bus or use any petroleum products. She got N0.0 kobo as subsidy.

Adam, a gateman, takes a bus from Kubwa a satellite town in the FCT to federal Secretariat and back. It takes a bus about four litres to do this journey and back. This bus takes sixteen commuters. Fuel subsidy on the 4 litres of fuel used is N302.8. if you divide this by 16 people in the bus it gives you N18.90. Adam got N18.90 as subsidy.

On the other hand, Joe Collins, an Executive has 6 cars. His official car, one for school runs, one for his wife, one family car, one afterhours car and one for the dogs. He buys up to 300 litres of petrol. Multiply that by N75.70k subsidy. Our Executive got a subsidy of N22,710 each time he bought petrol.

So who really was benefitting from subsidy?

It is right to Transform the way we do business in the Petroleum Sector.

It makes sense. (sic)

First, a government that is very proud to tell the world and whoever cares to listen that in the 21^st century it has citizens who walk to their farms and back, cook their meals with firewood, and have no need to commute by bus or use any petroleum product, should hide its face in mud. Is this shameful? Yes! Is it a fact that in reality there are millions of people like Mama in Nigeria today? Yes! This is another cogent reason why we must demand for the heads of the lunatics who have plundered our resources into a state of infamy. This is one of the reasons why we have decided to OccupyNigeria in the first place

Next, Adam, a driver takes a bus from Kubwa…Blah Blah Blah. Unfortunately for Adam this government is willing to confiscate the singular benefit that he is provided with.

Finally, fortunately, the Executive mentioned in this case is not a politician neither is he a member of the draconian group that loots the commonwealth dry. He is hard working and earns every kobo that he spends. He doesn’t have the luxury of ‘eating’ over N2.5 million daily.

This is the reality that we face in the Nigeria of today: The government is now willing to ensure that Mama in Plateau state gets nothing from the subsidy as usual. It wants Adam, whose minimum wage, debated for years is not more than N18, 000 to get nothing as subsidy. It is willing to ensure that Mr. Executive, the hard working and successful young man, must get nothing from the government. And so I ask: what then would we need a government for in Nigeria if we have to provide our own power, healthcare, education, infrastructures, security, etc?

The saddest reality in my opinion of this N2N campaign is the fact that once again our ‘Rulers; have demonstrated to us that not only are they incapable of providing us the basics of life and leading us to the Nigeria of our dream, they are also incapable of entrusting our money into the hands of the right people.

Who heads this N2N? Who sanctioned this fable they are trying to sell to us on the pages on newspaper with our money?

It doesn’t make sense!

OccupyNigeria we shall!

Occupy Nigeria; the real issues

On paper and in practice it is a noble economic policy. So, exactly what is the whole uproar about the removal of subsidy about? In my humble opinion, trust, deceit, management, priority misplacement; a few of the real issues here. On one side of the divide is the government; while on the other are the people. Who is to blame? Both sides have to responsibly accept responsibilities for the decay that we experience today in Nigeria.

Over time, successive Nigerian rulers have instilled a firm sense of distrust in the minds of the people. The general consensus is that each time a new policy is introduced into the system, there is a hidden agenda somewhere in the mind of the few who have held the nation to ransom to defraud the commonwealth.

As the #OccupyNigeria trains marches on, I as bothered about certain tendencies and decision making tactics that have bedeviled us as a nation and therefore ask:

1. If eventually this government agrees to withdraw its decision to remove subsidy, would we have achieved a better Nigeria?
2. The whole subsidy fraud amounts to more or less N1 trillion annually. Do you know how much is siphoned out of our nation annually as embezzled funds? Have we ever protested against such?
3. How many innocent citizens have lost their lives no thanks to the menacing Boko Haram threat? Have we ever protested against such loss?
4. What is/are our priority?
5. Are we being pushed to react?
6. What is our ideology?
7. What are we fighting for?
8. Are we fighting the real battle?

Those who know me will attest to the fact that I don’t believe GEJ or the PDP is the problem we have in this country. Far from the truth. Shun the lies that some have filled you with. These lunatics are only a reflection of the larger society that we live in. They are only a mirror through which we see ourselves. The problem with Nigeria is Nigerians, myself inclusive. A people deserve the leaders they have. All leaders were once followers. Bad followers breed bad leaders. Let us humbly admit our faults and identify where we faulted. How did GEJ find his way to Aso Rock in the first place? Have we learned our lessons yet?

I believe in #OccupyNigeria and hope that it serves the primary purpose it should: show Nigerians that at the end of the day the real and authentic leaders are the people, and not a bunch of psychotic rulers who sit somewhere to share the spoils of democracy.

Let us make our point and decide to chart a new course for our potentially great nation Nigeria.

Who ‘eats’ over N2.5million on food alone on a daily basis? Ask a psychiatrist!