Just to ponder and reflect!, by Yusuf Alhaji Lawan
History can be a veritable tool that brings to the fore; past events, present realities, and projections of the future. It holds the promise of presenting alternatives for informed decisions. It is commonly said that anyone who refuses to take lessons from history is bound to be punished by it.
In the recent past, former President Goodluck Jonathan was the Nigerian leader who discovered subsidies on petroleum products as evil. In his reign, he advocated so much for its removal and made frantic efforts towards its actualization via sensitization, campaigns, threats, etc. When it became evident of not achievable at the spot, he sowed the seed for future harvest.
Successive administrations adopted the plan and ensured the steady growth of the seeds through irrigation up to harvest. Now, the farm produce is brought home. The life of the common man has not been the same since the commencement of this historic journey.
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In the wave of public outcry about the “popular” policy, the then Minister of Information and Communication, Mr. Labaran Maku granted an interview to BBC Hausa radio station and took time to explain the deliverables of the removal. In his expatiation, he said it’s just like a father having a sick baby, ordinarily, the baby would resist medicine but the father has to dispense on the baby for him to be healthy. After years of struggle to dispense on Nigerians, we’re still down.
To my understanding, from former President Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammadu Buhari down to President Bola Tinubu, none demonstrated genuine readiness to clean the mess of massive corruption in the petroleum sector before the removal of the subsidy for the effects to be less on the populace. The attention has just been to remove and have more revenue in the coffers of the government. The recent massive protests by PENGASSAN and the actions, inactions, or reactions of the government are still fresh in minds.
The experiences gained about the unfolding developments in Nigeria’s petroleum industry from 2011 to date and beyond, positives and negatives, history should do justice to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his collaborators for being the architects.
May Nigeria succeed.
Lawan writes from Hausawa Asibiti Ward, Potiskum Yobe State. He can be reached via nasidi30@gmail.com.
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And again, no one is against subsidy removal but what we are saying is, proper and workable plan should be in ground that would counter smoothly any opposition that may come up against it’s removal before its actually removal…but sadly this is Nigeria and in Nigeria nothing is done in ideal situations