By Tunde Olowosejeje
I remember last year I stumbled on a video of Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s speech in a convocation abroad where she narrated how subsidies skyrocketed between the time she left office as Minister of Finance under OBJ in 2006 to the time she was reappointed to the same office by GEJ in 2011 from $2B to $11B, she felt there was something fishy and adviced GEJ that they should audit the account, they found fraudulent claims and refused to pay them. A lot happened after, including threats to her life, the kidnapping of her mother for 5 days and threats to kill her if she won’t bow to them. That was the day I made up my mind that any serious government in Nigeria would remove subsidy.
Previous Presidents has tried to remove it but they were all bullied to start paying again, the marketers would inflate the price and we’ll all bully the government to start paying. This is how the oil marketers are controlling us (our government and we the people).
Now, Tinubu also in a video last year look at these people in the eyes and told them he will remove subsidy either they protest it or not and he will win the election, this made me realized that he is who we need.
Obi and Atiku said the same but he said it first, and he didn’t say it on twitter, he said it to their faces. That’s who they can’t bully, that’s who we need.
Also, I would like to point out something that many didn’t pay attention to, Tinubu is not the one that will remove subsidy by July, Buhari already removed it from this year’s budget. He did a budget for year 2023 and stop provision for subsidy halfway in June when he would be out of office already. This might be a pointer that Buhari wanted to remove the subsidy too but don’t want to be bullied yet don’t want the next administration to continue paying it, so he got the job done and pushed the bully to them (this is totally my assumption). Fortunately, the new administration is anchored by one that cannot be bullied.
Therefore, I would employ us to not react the way these marketers would have us do, let us show them that we are now informed, let us break forth from their shackles once and for all.
Bottom line, let us forget what is past and face the present and our future. We have seen that Tinubu never lied to get votes, so he meant all the promises he made. Let us in unity pray and support our President. Let us be progressive.
🇳🇬Nigeria first
May Nigeria succeed. Amen
Tunde Olowosejeje is an Ekiti born author, freelancer and business coach, he can be reached via olowosejejetunde@gmail.com