Occupy Nigeria & The Removal of Oil Subsidy 2015 by Adesuwa Onyenokwe
Yesterday on August 21, the papers reported that petroleum marketers were calling for the removal of oil subsidy. And I thought, “about time!”
Also this morning a my friend, Audrey Joe Ezigbo sent me a link to another friend’s Facebook post of an old article that still ‘spoke’ to me. Then I arrive my office scanning through my laptop trying to put a proposal together, as it is one of those down times for me, just a day after putting one tw edition to bed. Then lo and behold I stumble on an article I had written that was published in February 2012, just after Occupy Nigeria, when people poured out to resist oil subsidy removal, and I thought it might make for good reading today. The way the day began had sort of led me to the need to flashback on occasion.
After reading the piece I remembered again the pain of Occupy Nigeria, and to think that the problem persists. So any chance of street protests again? I do not think so. One thing I know for sure is that this time there will be no occupy… we are simply tired of thieving Nigerians who the subsidy pays more than it pays us. People, lets Flashback
Truth Be Told (February 2012 – tw Magazine)
The ‘Occupy’ saga…the Paradox of Evil.
Call me naïve, but I simply can’t imagine that those who plunder public funds or kill innocent souls can sleep well at night! How can they? What about the souls and spirit of all those they have hurt? They must continuously cry for justice from God, if not from man! So if such plunderers have a good night’s sleep always, then, there is no justice in this world. While as Christians, we are primed to await an eternity of bliss when we are done with this world, the Bible also states clearly that “the Lord’s is the earth and its fullness thereof”, which means we are entitled to bliss even here on earth, but certainly not at the cost of the “other Christs” who live in our world. Since we were made in God’s image, then we are truly “other Christs”!
I am griping this way because of the mind-boggling revelations that emanated from the fuel subsidy probe by the lower house early this year. The figures we heard were simply unbelievable. Billions and trillions! ! Not only were people being over paid, they were earning money for work not done, a clear case of criminality that should have had the perpetrators behind bars. Yet they moved and still move around our streets driving in luxury cars, sit in front pews and are the highest donors at every gathering to raise money, whether its for politics or God! I wonder where the probe will end? More talk and no action? I hope not.
However, the story that takes the cookie for me so far this year is that of an official of the Pensions Board in whose home 2 billion naira cash was recovered by EFCC and ICPC officials! Mind boggling, especially when you consider that most pensioners earn pittance and are rarely paid; and we often hear stories of how they die on queues to pick up the pittance! 2 billion Naira is a lot of cash! Why on earth did they not give the name of the “ole” so that Nigerians can pour curses on him or her that will last generations? But then, wait a minute, will they? I wonder because these days we envy and praise money-bags to high heavens as we hanker for our own opportunity to ‘chop’!
Anyway, the real point I am making here is that there is a need for us all to look more closely at the man in the mirror; now more than ever before. Personally, I have resolved not to be intimidated by money-bags who throw their weight around wherever. You know how sometimes at launchings for example you are shy to make a donation because you fear “people” will think the sum is paltry compared to what others have ‘pledged’. It is this ‘people-will-say’ syndrome that pushes us to overstep our financial limit and become indebted to the point that some of us will cheat and steal to get money at all costs.
I came to this decision long before the whole subsidy saga. But as people poured out unto the streets propelled by anger, I could see in many of the instances, a people looking in the mirror, not liking what they saw and starting with themselves, decided to do something about it. I met a young mother of five who went on the streets with her husband throughout the occupy period and when I asked, “why risk both your lives? What about the children?” Her answer to me was, “I went out for their sake. We are in this mess today because our parents kept quiet. Our children can’t have a future if we do not do something about it.” Well said! But even as that young mother like many others went out to protest the injustice of power hungry leadership, stories that filtered out still had some fun not too altruistic perspectives. We hear the bigz boys and galz syndrome set in and there was some champagne popping, also young ‘uns bedecked in their ‘bottom’ box fired text to and between potential suitors, yet it was all good, because Nigeria found her voice!
For now, that voice has been muted by the force of “soldier power”, but it is at best temporary, because TRUE PEACE and HARMONY ONLY COMES WHEN THERE IS JUSTICE! It is unjust to have a few messing with the resources of a larger group to their detriment, and the ‘Occupy’ saga has shown that we do not have to accept it, so if we are the wiser for it then as monsignor Pedro Martins, my ‘baba’ always says…God permits evil for the good that can come out of it…If the Truth be told.
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