Tinubu And The Politics Of Subsidy, Electricity Hike

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Nigerians understand the picture of today’s economy, and we have observed closely and still watching the drama that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is acting along other characters (APC Members).

Recently, the former APC National Chairman who now represents Edo North in the Nigerian Senate, Adams Oshiomhole lamented that the immediate past President, Buhari handed over to Asiwaju, a messed up economy.

Yes, that is true. We know that, but that is not what we are talking about now. Let the correction be made. The statement would have been, APC handed over to APC a rubbished economy. Oshiomhole has no moral power to talk about the state of the economy even Mr. President because both were part of the corrupt system that destroyed the nation’s economy. Under Oshiomhole as APC national Chairman, and Tinubu as national Leader, Buhari was destroying the Nigerian economy and they applauded him, describing his policies as prudent and people oriented.

This is not politics. It is hypocrisy, deceit and immaturity of the mind. Politicians should stand for what is right, even if it means standing alone.

Asiwaju talking about subsidy removal effect and how to cushion it, does that make impact? How do they ascertain the poor? What is the parameter? How sincere is the distribution of the palliative?

The huge amount of money saved from subsidy can go a long way in reviving our state of economy. Telling us that with many refineries Nigerians will still experience fuel hike shows the politics. People now look at the intent. Everything that APC Government said both now and before, is a lie. They deceived the people and are still deceiving the masses.

Claiming to use the money on palliative is an avenue to distract Nigerians.

The beneficiaries of the money will still not do much with it. In fact, it will not meet up the purpose.

Since 1999, there has been fuel crisis but it has never gotten to this level. The past administrations had their own ways of resolving the issue not playing visible politics with the situation.

The subsidy money would have been put into prudent use where all Nigerians especially, the poor would benefit.

Not too long ago, the foreign commonwealth and the development office, FCDO, of the UK advised Tinubu to use money from subsidy to fund education in the country. There are key areas of the Nigerian economy where the subsidy money can be channeled rather than this politics of palliative distribution.

Another sector that Nigerians are worried about is the power sector. In every government, Nigerians see a Presidential rigmarole in the energy sector, especially power. The government of Tinubu, taking advantage of the destroyed economy to hike the electricity tariff shows lack of preparedness. Nigeria is known for power problem over the years but this has been despite the huge sum of money invested in it. People see it as wickedness, the ruling APC coupling our suffering with twin hydra headed monsters – subsidy removal without plans and electricity tariff hike. Rather than the power generation being on the increase, the reverse has been the case. Sometimes, our leaders create the impression that the country is a home video where you watch fake (a make-believe scenes).

Pondering on the Nigeria’s ability to supply electricity to other African countries uninterrupted, while we cannot have a 24 hour power convinces us that our leaders are our enemies. They trade our comfort and according to the Nigerian Institution of Electrical and electronics engineers (NIEEE), Nigerians are more deprived of electricity than other people in the world.

Some people who do not understand the Nigerian politics may want to exonerate the federal government on this issue of electricity tariff hike. But, the truth is that the federal government has a role to play if not, why did some Nigerians call on the Senate to intervene?

Mr. President can help us get out of this mess if really he means business.

The distribution companies (Discos) and other stakeholders, in the sector cannot have the final say if the federal government is not in support of the said tariff rate increase.

This development is coming at the wrong time when Nigerians are in pains following the high cost of living caused by mismanagement of the Nigerian economy by the APC-led government.

The stakeholders in the electricity sector should understand that Nigerians hardly pay electricity bills when things were okay let alone now that poverty and hardship is grinding the citizens.

Apart from that, it will lead to an untold unemployment situation because many more industries will fold up. The industries cannot afford to spend all their financial resources on electricity without benefits. This kind of development compels industrialists to relocate where source of power is affordable because every business establishment is profit oriented.

Furthermore, when the industries are folding up, it creates high rate of unemployment with the attendant negative effect of insecurity, crime, youth unrestiveness, thuggery, gangsterism, drug abuse, kidnapping, child/human trafficking, economic loss, ritual killings, internet/cybercrime among other illegitimate activities.

It will also force operators of small scale businesses such as welders, salon runners, cold room owners, ice block producers and other small business outlets that are dependent on power to go off. In all these, the Nigerian society and the economy are the recipient of the hit. Uninterestingly, this monster melts to the poor Nigerians who have no other countries to run to.

Let it be said here and now that electricity stability/improvement in power generation capacity was one of the Vision 2020 in Nigeria which has not been achieved.

According to an analyst and newspaper columnist, Mohammad Haruna, the problem in the power sector is all about corruption, many do not believe otherwise. He further stated that this is especially so when the cabal in the country is behind the failure of the power sector.

In this revelation, Haruna hinted that the cabal works assiduously to ensure that public power sector remained nonfunctional and inefficient.

Nigerians, can we now see why this writing described the monsters (subsidy and tariff hike) as politics?

Now, the question is: if the President appears helpless with all the powers in his hands according to Nigerian constitution, to deal with saboteurs against his government, what hope is there that electoral promises of his government would be realized?

According to research and development, countries that were at the same league with us in 1960s have left us behind. Countries like Malaysia, China, India and South Korea were in the 1960s ranked with Nigeria as middle-income countries. Laughable as it is, these countries have moved developmentally and there is no atom of comparison by any measure.

Continuing, in 2009, these progressive countries were invited in the G20 summit in London and Nigeria was not even invited as an observer. The question is this: how can the country be invited to the summit of countries regarded as developed and industrialized economies when most manufacturing sector has gone comatose and ranked among the poorest in the globe?

Some of the African countries do not have plenty of the minerals as Nigeria’s crude, whose exploitation since the 1960s could have transformed the landscape, where things are done with purpose, focus and urgency. When will our lingering fuel and electricity problems end?