Opinion I Fuel Subsidy Removal Policy: So Far, How Far?

THE FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL POLICY: SO FAR, HOW FAR?

         

Oil subsidy is a certain sum of money paid by the government on petroleum products towards reducing the cost of refining the said commodities as well as their transportation back to the country, in order to lessen the financial burden on the final consumers.

         

The bitter truth is that Nigeria is immensely blessed with petroleum resources but over the decades, the country could not boast of a single functional refinery that would help in refining the natural resources; hence, the raw materials are being taken to foreign nations by oil marketers to be refined and afterwards, imported into the country for consumption.

        

This implies that intriguingly, the country had been involved in importation of products that were meant to be exported to various other nations. So, in order to cushion the expected high cost of the commodities, the Federal Government (FG) had to implement the Oil Subsidy Policy.

         

Over the years, the Nigerian citizenry enjoyed oil subsidy till the emergence of the President Mohammadu Buhari – led administration that thought it wise to totally reverse the policy with a view to boosting the country’s downstream sector. The downstream sector ensures that the country boasts of functional and adequate refineries managed by either the government or private investors.

          

The moment the All Progressives Congress (APC) came into power, the FG rigorously and vehemently sold the idea of oil/fuel subsidy removal to the teeming Nigerians. It took reasonable time to make them comprehend how beneficial the proposed policy would be to all and sundry regardless of class. The citizens were equally meant to note that the oil subsidy policy was only to the benefit of a few individuals in the country, particularly the oil dealers.

          

The FG pointed out that the proposed Oil Subsidy Removal policy, when fully implemented, would help to generate additional revenue that would be used to boost the overall infrastructural status of the country, disclosing that billions of naira were annually being budgeted for oil subsidy yet its basic aim wasn’t achieved. Prior to when the majority of Nigerians were apparently convinced that the oil subsidy removal would be beneficial to all concerned, virtually every Nigerian was sceptical with the notion that it was only an attempt of the politicians to exploit their meager resources.

         

Nigerians were meant to believe that if the subsidy is duly removed, the pump price of fuel, which was then #65, would eventually decline to at most #10 having resuscitated the country’s moribund refineries. It’s noteworthy that the prime target was to rather use the oil subsidy fund to revive the three non-functional Nigeria’s refineries variously situated in Kaduna, Warri and Port-Harcourt.

        

Without due consultations with the organized labour comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the FG took the bull by the horn in early 2016 by outrightly removing the oil subsidy as being proposed. The abrupt step was absorbed smacks of mischief by the masses, traders, as well as the civil servants.  

          

The FG thereafter proclaimed partial deregulation of the downstream sector, thereby allowing any prospective individual investor to establish and manage a refinery of his/her choice. The proclamation was seen as a welcome development that was long overdue. On the contrary, the fuel pump price was at the time increased to #145 by the FG, still without the consent of the organized labour, stating that with time, everything would fall into place; therefore, urged the citizens to exercise patience. The government via the Petroleum Ministry further promised that the Warri refinery would be fixed before the end of 2016.

          

It’s so pathetic and mind-boggling that almost two years after the said policy was implemented, Nigeria as a people is yet to boast of at least a refinery, after series of promises made by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu. Lately, the minister publicly lamented that the government’s intent to resuscitate the country’s moribund refineries was being marred by paucity of funds; if what the boss said was something to go by, then one would begin to wonder what actually is being done with the billions of naira formerly meant to cater for oil subsidy. Worse still, the government is more concerned on borrowing funds to service the country’s budget.

        

It is therefore needless to state that the FG has so far failed the teeming Nigerians as regards the ongoing Oil Subsidy Removal Policy, or all the pledges tendered in respect of that. The country’s downstream sector is still wearing a pitiable look; the pump price of petrol still stood at #145 as against its former price of #65; none of the dilapidated refineries has been revived; no iota of plan to construct a new one. With all these, who then would say that all is well? Think about it!

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

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Opinion I Still On World Refugee Day

COMBATING CAUSES OF ALL FORMS OF CRISES AS THE 2017 WORLD REFUGEE DAY IS MARKED ON TUESDAY JUNE 20

      

        

On Tuesday, June 20, the global community commemorated the World Refugee Day. On 4^th December 2000, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in its unanimous Resolution decided that, from 2001, June 20 of every year would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In the resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the golden jubilee or the 50^th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of Refugees.

       

Each year on June 20, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and countless civic groups around the world host World Refugee Day events in order to draw public attention to the millions of refugees and people who are internally displaced worldwide.

       

A refugee can be described as a person who has been forced to leave his or her country due to persecution, which could be attributed to his/her race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social affiliation, or as a result of disaster, either natural or manmade, such as massacre, genocide, war, inferno, earthquake, terrorism, climate change, and famine, just to mention but a few. In some cases, the internally displaced individuals within a certain country can also be referred to as ‘Refugees’.

       

Recently, the Bornu State government in Nigeria cried foul as well as sought for the financial assistance of the international community in regard to the alarming number of displaced persons recorded in the state owing to the ongoing terrorism of the Boko Haram sect in the area. Such incident is not peculiar to Nigeria, but to many other countries in the world.

       

Statistics show that not less than forty-three million people worldwide are presently displaced as a result of conflict and persecution, which is the highest number since the middle of 1990s. More than fifteen million of the aforementioned figure are refugees who fled their home countries, while the rest are people who remain displaced by conflict within their own homelands and they are generally regarded as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

       

Worldwide, refugees have really suffered an untold hardship in the respective camps or localities they are being hosted or they found themselves; they mostly lack the three basic needs of mankind, which remain food, clothing and shelter. Most of them often feared killed by deadly diseases, or sometimes due to the unbearable hazards attached to the environment they reside in.

       

It is worthy to note that, most of the beggars found on the major roads or streets of most cities in Nigeria, likewise other countries, are refugees. A good number of them who hail from the neighbouring countries to include Niger Republic, Chad, Benin Republic and Cameroon, migrated to Nigeria in search of a lasting succour. This implies that more than half of the world’s refugees are in urban environments, not in camps. This set of people invariably fall victim to human trafficking, which is currently on the rampage in several countries.

       

No doubt, displaced persons are found virtually in all the nations across the globe. Since refugees are mainly victims of either manmade or natural disasters, there is a compelling need to take appropriate and drastic measures that would thoroughly address all forms of disaster or conflict witnessed by mankind virtually on a daily basis.

        

It is noteworthy that, even the natural disasters such as earthquake, depletion of the Ozone layer, climate change, erosion, and what have you, are mostly attributable to human/manmade actions or activities. Needless to say that, any event that could lead to displacement of individuals from their places of residence or country of origin, can be averted by the concerned persons or authorities, as the case may be.

       

To this end, inferno for instance, which usually takes place as a result of man’s carelessness or lackadaisical attitude, can be prevented by sensitizing the public on the fundamental actions that could lead to such disaster. In the same vein, people ought to be professionally directed on where, when, and how to erect various structures both residential and industrial  as well as in the case of drilling of boreholes in order to help avoid future occurrence of earthquake and other related crises.

       

There is also need for legal backing in respect to prevention of the various uncalled attitudes or practices including discrimination, extremism, racism, ethnicity, human rights violation, et cetera, that can result to a life-threatening crisis such as insurgency, terrorism or war. Hence, the bill on prevention of terrorism that is presently lying on the floor of the National Assembly ought to be given a speedy hearing by the 8^th Assembly with a view to passing it into law in earnest.

        

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the sixteenth (17^th) commemoration of the World Refugee Day, there’s a compelling need for the various civil society organizations as well as religious bodies to embark on a massive and rigorous awareness crusade that would educate the entire public on the dangers inherent in any form of crisis, which will go a long way to bring a holistic attitudinal change among the overall citizenry. Think about it!

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

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Opinion I Sergeant Attang Must Not Die!

SERGEANT ATTANG MUST NOT DIE!

       

The last time I checked, a good and patriotic Nigerian domiciled in Imo State was seriously down owing to a bravery posture he displayed recently. His name is Sergeant Otu Attang and he hails from Akwa-Ibom State. He was one of the police personnel that were on guard when armed robbers stormed the Zenith Bank situated at Wethedral road, Owerri four months ago, precisely on Wednesday February 22, 2017.

         

It would be recalled that on that fateful day, a group of gangsters followed a client of the said bank to the banking premises and reportedly made away with

2.5 million naira. On storming the banking arena, one of the policemen on duty in the person of Sergeant Chukwudi Iboko, now late, who hailed from Abia State displayed an uncommon gallantry by firing the armed robbers and in the process, succeeded in killing one of them at the spot.

        

The three police officers on duty namely, messers Chukwudi Iboko, Sunday Agbo and Otu Attang who individually performed as expected, unfortunately sustained various degrees of injury as a result of the bullets received during the physical combat. They were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri where they were treated till the early hours of the following day being Thursday 23^rd February 2017 when the two surviving officers were transferred to the Police Clinic, Shell Camp, still in Owerri; it’s noteworthy that Sergt. Iboko gave up the ghost at the FMC as at 4am.

        

When the remaining two officers were in the Police Clinic, Sergt. Agbo who hailed from Benue State equally passed away. According to Sergt. Attang whose right eye was shattered by bullets and had already undergone series of surgeries, when he was in the clinic, the Zenith bank donated #200,000 and #400,000 respectively – totaling #600,000 – on two different occasions. And after that, had ceased to continue catering for him. He disclosed that, he was compelled to leave the clinic for a private hospital named ‘Mercy Hospital’ located in Orji, Owerri North L.G.A because he could not further cater for the exorbitant bills that kept coming on a daily basis while in the former, and only his family was reportedly left to foot the bills.   

        

It’s worthy of note that most surgeries conducted thus far were all carried out during his admission at the Mercy Hospital, and the poor family was mainly the financier of these. In order not to go into much details, which could be inconsequential, this piece was informed by the compelling need to notify the general public on the pressing need of the said surviving officer, though critically ill. As recommended by a well-experienced consultant neuro-surgeon, Sergt. Attang who now wears prosthetic eye still needs to undergo some urgent surgeries.

        

It was gathered that there were bullets still lodged in his skull and jaw, and needs the recommended medical operations to have them removed. The life-saving surgeries are expected to cost about 3 million naira. Since the Police as well as the bank in question had declined from further financial supports, he is left with no other option than to plead with the public, particularly well-spirited individuals, to come to his rescue before he becomes a dead man.

         

Personally, I would have love not to raise any provocative issue, or sound too emotional, on this platform but yet posterity wouldn’t forgive my person if I fail to appraise a few facts herein. Then if I must air my view outrightly, I would like to verify at this juncture why the affected bank, and of course the Police, would refuse to duly cater for the wellbeing of a man who sustained injuries while in active service.

          

I learnt that only after a threat was issued by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Owerri Branch, disclosing its intent to sue the bank and the Police on the ground that the families of the deceased police personnel had been abandoned by the aforementioned institutions, that the latter (Zenith bank) announced its interest to grant scholarship to the their children. But, it’s not about putting up an announcement or telling the entire world that you have accepted to do this or that; rather, it’s all about doing only the needful thereafter. God is indeed watching, and the law of Karma will surely prevail.

        

Worse still, it’s mind-boggling to learn that the critically-ill Sergt. Attang has alongside his family been residing in a batcher, even prior to the incident. Acknowledging this fact, one would begin to wonder why a well-decorated police sergeant in Nigeria could not rent at least a one-bedroom apartment, let alone a single flat. It’s really surprising and pathetic. No wonder why some junior police officers now resort to conniving with miscreants towards carrying out an intended crime, or collecting gratifications on our various major roads, thereby defacing the outlook of the revered institution. However, nothing ought to serve as a tangible excuse for indulging in any form of criminal act.

         

Before I drop my pen, I want to call on the government, that of Imo State in particular, to join hands in coming to the rescue of this fine gentleman – Sergeant Otu Attang – so that he would be proud of being a police officer posted to serve in the state. On the other hand, we should as well immortalize the two that are already dead because they died as heroes. Think about it!

Comrade FDN Nwaozor

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