ALILE THROWS WEIGHT BEHIND SUBSIDY REMOVAL
By Sam Eyoboka & Victor Ahiuma-Young
PIONEER Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Apostle Hayford Alile, Sunday, threw his wait behind Federal Government's proposal to remove subsidy from the downstream sector of the economy by January warning, however, that the Goodluck Jonathan administration can only do so if adequate palliative measures have been put in place to cushion the effect.
Speaking in an interview after an annual baptismal service at St. Joseph's Chosen Church of God, Kirikiri Town, Apostle Alile who is the spiritual leader of the church, said 'if the thing is properly administered there will be more money available to government to carry out its programmes.'
The spiritual leader laments that past experiences of subsidy removal have evidently shown to the Nigerian people that governments have not been sincere with the people, noting that such monies had ended in private pockets.
'I personally don't believe that the administration of windfall from the subsidy removals have really done the nation any good. I believe that the core of economic advisers that the president had surrounded himself with, are seasoned people who have the capacity to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
'I believe that with the fear of God in their hearts they would be different from the past administrations,' Alile said, adding 'we are praying for the administration to succeed because the heart of the kind is in the hands of the Lord.'
Despite all the hardship in the land, the spiritual leader is still hopeful that the nation has a brought future, adding however, that there is the urgent need for every Nigerian to forgive one another for past sins.
'If it were possible for every Nigerian to come before the Chief Justice of the country and put our hands on the table to declare that we have all forgiven one another the nation would have excelled beyond the reach of other nations,' he stated.
According to him something serious must be done to those who have looted the nation's treasury, otherwise innocent persons who are trying very hard to live by the laws of the country might be tempted to seek the popular way out of their hardship, which according to him, is the way of corruption.
He gave thumbs up for the current administration of Goodluck Jonathan, saying 'I know that he is trying his best to make sure that the nation's resources that are being misdirected spread out for the common good of every citizen of the country.
'As a minister of God, I see a lot of the youths of this country going through untold hardship, pains and anguish and I must tell you I pray everyday that they are not too exposed to television and see what is happening in other countries, especially the current Arab spring which has consumed several political leaders. I also pray that they forgive us,' he stated.
Continuing, he said the church had had to set up a fund called, Glory be to God Fund, to help alleviate the suffering of youths, some of whom had gotten admission to different institutions but there is no money to pay their initial school fees, because the parents are either separated or are out of employment and can no longer meet their obligations to their children.
'When kids are going through such pains, anything can happen. I pray that what could happen should be for the nation's leaders to take a stand to alleviate the suffering of the generality of the people of this country. Nobody can tell me that we are not a rich country. We are.
'The problem we have always had is with the administration of our sovereign wealth that brought us to where we are today-where the nation's infrastructure are in decrepit state and our children have no hope of tomorrow,' he further lamented.