Has Jonathan Not Handed Over To Buhari?

The above question was raised by an old woman from Kastina State about 4 weeks ago. Her submission came as a result of what she observed as the state of the nation. The question raised is evident to all. We were told that GEJ was the problem and we should help them remove him by votes, which 25% of 60million eligible voters made by INEC did. While 20% did not and 55% sat on the fence.

Today, 21st December, 2015 will make it 58days that Nigerians have been facing fuel crisis with sky rocketing pump price. It is a crystal clear that this government is not doing anything reasonable to solve this perennial problem.

How can someone explain essence of billions of naira just paid for subsidy? To make it worse they are pushing debate for subsidy removal. How could a party that stood against removal of subsidy by immediate past administration in 2012 be considering same?

Here are confusing stands of APC; When oil price slumped last year, please click the link to read Fashola's punch to GEJ,

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/oil-slump-bring-fuel-price-immediately-fashola-tells-fg-2/

After the price cut in January this year by GEJ, click here to read Buhari and others punches to GEJ. They said it was too small.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/01/nlc-tuc-apc-seek-further-cut-in-price-of-petrol/

In October this year, VP, Osinbajo publicly announced to the whole world in an interview with bloomberg that pump price will soon be reduced and its rumour sparked up that PMS will soon be N57/litre. Read detail here http://www.channelstv.com/2015/10/23/government-working-on-petroleum-pump-price-reduction-osinbajo/

Also, Kachikwu has been reiterating that subsidy must die for us to live. If 2016 budget should sail through then fuel subsidy will be in cemetery of history. To add to it, Tinubu has also pitched tent with World Bank earlier advice that the demon called subsidy must die.

Here is our submissions, APC met oil price at $64.25/barrel but the current price is below $40/barrel. It means oil price has reduced by 38%. So if we should go by Fashola's analogy in last year December, Buhari should also reduce pump price not to increase it.

Secondly, is there subsidy existence with the current oil price? If a dollar to naira is still N199 officially, then why telling us about subsidy, when at $69/barrel we were buying fuel at N87/litre with subsidy. But now it is less than $40/barrel and we are buying it N100 and above with wanton subsidy.

Thirdly, the shocking news about USA to be exporting crude oil starting from 2016 might bring down oil price below $20 and our revenue strength will reduce.

Now to Mr Super Minister, who is begging Nigerians to take extra burden through another hike in electricity tariff and toll gates. We should remind him that under his party electricity tariff has been increased twice, July 1 and November 1 this year. The worsening part was how the second hike came in through the back-door without NERC's approval. May be he should take time to ask ordinary Nigerians what they have been paying since last October.

One should have expected him to explain what is causing such increase before begging to compound Nigerians' burdens.

Also, for him to be reinventing toll gate on roads that are not motorable is inhuman. We will like to remind him of N5 that was added to fuel price when OBJ demolished toll gates, will he give us back?

In sum, APC has failed to understand the ripple effects of all these economy indicators on the common man. Market prices of basic items have increased astronomically and millions are suffering than the way APC met them.

Let us join the old woman from Katsina State to ask them again if Jonathan has not handed over to them.

"In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows

how to administer a city or a state. When we are ill..., we do not ask

for handsomest physician or the most eloquent one". Plato

Ifedayo Obi
Good Governance Advocates
[email protected]