OIL SUBSIDY SAGA: THE CHAMELEON ACTS BY THE PRESIDENT & REP

As the hours to the purported strike approach and tension escalates within the country, the President of Nigeria (who initially lacks the plan and implementation skills) launches the donation of 1600 buses in Abuja as part of his plan regarding the removal of the oil subsidy. The question is what comes first, the cart or the horse (the buses or the removal of the subsidy)? The act by the president is just a changing act to suit the tension set by the removal of subsidy and to cajole the citizens that he is actually a listening President after disrupting the social, political and economy situations of the country with the introduction of his hardship formula on the first day of the year (New Year Day) and shortly after the gruesome bombing of Christians on Christmas Day. What a way to show concern for citizens.

Are these buses meant for a particular local government or the whole country?

I think he needs to see the Lagos State Governor (Fashola) to learn about transportation management.

Somewhere around the eagle square where the so called GEJ, Nigeria President, was launching the new buses, the house of representative were deliberating on the oil subsidy issue before the final resolution of suspending the removal of the subsidy. From the live broadcast of the House of Representative Meeting, the House ask Jonathan to suspend the removal of the oil subsidy. Another question is, why should the House of Rep waits till the purported strike by Labour, Occupy Nigeria, Nigerian Students, Nigeria Bar Association, Medical Associations and other non-governmental organizations before suspending the fuel removal? They claimed were not were consulted about the removal of the subsidy. Another chameleon act of telling the citizens they care.

Somewhere else across the ocean, the Occupy Nigeria Protest will be held in Washington DC and New York as reactions to the removal of the oil subsidy in Nigeria. The protests are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday respectively. Likewise in Nigeria, the NLC purported strikes and mass protests will still commence as scheduled despite the resolution by the House of Representative.

The table below shows the PMS price per litre compared to the minimum wage of other OPEC Countries.

OPEC Member PMS Price/Ltr MinimumWage Population Prod '000 bPD-2007
Venezuela-------3.61 Naira-------95,639 Naira----29,105,632----------------2,340

Kuwait----------34.54-------------161,46-------------3,566,437----------------2,340

Saudi Arabia---25.12-------------99,237-----------27,136,977----------------9,800

Iran------------102.05-------------86,585-----------75,330,000----------------3,700

Qatar------------34.54------------101,250------------1,696,563------------------810

UAE--------------78.18----------------------------------8,264,070---------------2,500

Algeria-----------63.55-------------55,957-----------36,423,000---------------1,360

Libya-------------26.69-------------23,813-------------5,670,688---------------1,650

Iraq--------------59.66-------------25,813------------30,399,572---------------1,481

Nigeria---------140-200-----------18,000-----------167,000,000---------------2,250

The big question:

Who owns Nigeria? The Citizens or The Government.