Majority of Nigerians agreed that fuel subsidy is a fraud forced on us by wicked Nigerians who destroyed four refineries and then began to siphon billions of dollars annually in the name of petroleum products importation. (What we did with cash crops, pre-petroleum discovery, we have resulted in the same. How will the rest of the world not think we are idiots?) Many did not import one gallon of anything but they have become billionaires from subsidies.
All leading presidential candidates in the last election agreed we must rid ourselves of this 'agbana' (blood-sucking idols), but how do you do it in a way that will not further compound the suffering of already beating down Nigerians who were barely scraping by under the last president?
Here comes the new man, on day one, he removed subsidy without a plan, without consulting the stakeholders, without addressing the people on his strategy on how the monumental effect of subsidy removal will be cushioned. He acted with impunity and dared Nigerians to fight back. Labor leaders fumed and shouted. But they got to Abuja, they saw a ghost (ego) and they changed their tone - that strategy has been used severally before - remember the protégé of the president in Osun State when he was paying half salary for years and how he kept union leaders under wrap.
In a democratic government, leaders should never act like dictators. Leaders who act with impunity is telling the electorate, you have no voice, you didn't vote me into office so you can do nothing, I need not consult you when making decisions that will upend your lives, so shut up and endure the hardship. In the end, in Tinubu's style as he did in Lagos, one would not be surprised that the benefits of savings from subsidy removal will primarily benefit his immediate family and loyalist, he would then leave "CRUMBS" to Nigerians. I call Tinubu's politics, the politics of crumbs. My prayer is that President Tinubu will prove me wrong. Because if he did, Nigerians will be the winner.
Seeking public opinions, collating the views of the people and stakeholders like the national assembly, faith leaders, traditional rulers, being plain and strategic are the marks of true leadership, especially in a time of crisis. Nigeria is in a state of crisis because Buhari left a depleted and broke government that was hanging by a thin rope.
If nothing is done quickly to address the effect of subsidy removal, "savants go bigin they chop him oga alive oh". Nigerians are suffering and with this irrational decision, it will be suffering-exponential.
Communism died, and capitalism survived. Capitalism is a supposed system that allows freeness in an economy - market forces in the hands of private owners control what happens to the economy with minimal influence by the state. Capitalism has produced enormous wealth in the West. There are so many millionaires and billionaires. The question is, what is the ratio of the stupendously rich and those who are just scraping by - living from pay check-to-pay check? The gap is huge between the rich and the poor in most capitalist states. When President Trump was going to deliver his tax reform, it favored the rich with about 80% of the tax benefits going to the top 1% richest people in America. The argument was that they create jobs, they should benefit more - money is being given to those who really do not need the extra cash but those who need it the most, aids is been taken away from people who are at the bottom of the ladder because of a few who lie on their social welfare claims. I h...
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