By Pieray Awele Odor
The termination of fuel subsidy is mindless, plagiarism and criminal!!! No sophistry or devil’s advocacy can make it right! Both Mr. Peter Obi and Chief Bola Tinubu are absolutely wrong about their devil’s advocacy intended to persuade Nigerians to accept the mindlessness, plagiarism, and criminality as right, or accept their sophistry intended to justify the mindlessness, plagiarism, and criminality. I shall defend these assertions in this piece.
Concerning the mindlessness, plagiarism and criminality in respect of the termination of fuel subsidy, the most fundamental and overwhelming reason that makes it mindless, plagiarism and criminal is that neither the idea that precipitated the termination nor the statistics that Mr. Peter Obi has been blaring so very loudly to Nigerians is his idea or his statistics. I will show in this piece that these belong to the IMF and, hence, that Mr. Obi is guilty of mindlessness, plagiarism and serious crime against Nigerians. The crime is based on the fact that experience shows that the execution of the terminations causes unimaginable number of Nigerians extreme deprivation or lack of money and food, poverty, dehumanisation, loss of essential values, diseases, death and suicide. NOT Mr. Obi and other Nigerians like him! He is guilty of civil wrong because his loyalty is to the IMF and not to Nigerians! He also violates the sovereign right of Nigerians!
Let me give you two insights to defend these with: The first is that the IMF has not criticised the action since Chief Tinubu imposed it on Nigerians with his characteristic authoritarian and autocratic fiat. But if he announced that the federal government will not terminate fuel subsidy until after national refineries begin to supply locally refined fuel daily to the satisfaction of Nigerians, the IMF would have been the first to criticise it. It would have demanded with despotic authority the reversal of the decision immediately and would have warned of the consequences of not doing so; that is, sanctions. As a researcher, I note that the first way to know whether any policy or action of the federal government is good for Nigerians and bad for the IMF or the reverse is to wait and hear whether the IMF criticises it, praises it, or keeps silent about it. Praise has always revealed that it is bad for Nigerians and good for the IMF while criticism and silence have always revealed that it is good for the IMF and bad for Nigerians. It is silence now!
For my second insight into my argument that the idea and the statistics belong to the IMF and not to Mr. Obi, read the publication in the Premium Times online, titled IMF URGES Nigerian government to remove fuel subsidy by mid-2023, (Mary Izuaka, Premium Times, 8 Feb. 2023, online). The author revealed: “The International Monetary Fund (IMF) HAS URGED THE Nigerian government to deliver on its commitment to remove fuel subsidy on fuel by mid-2023”. Note that we were told that the subsidy was meant to last until June! The report noted that the commitment was given to the IMF executive board at a meeting with the board. It is in IMF report titled “IMF Executive Board Concludes 2022 Article IV Consultation with Nigeria”. Confirm this evil and crime by IMF intended to firmly contain Nigeria’s economy. It violates the sovereignty and rights to buoyant and competitive economy and currency, prosperity, good health and happiness of Nigerians! Recall that the IMF did the same thing through Dr. Jonathan on 1 January 2012. Is Mr. Obi what Americans call “Revolving Door”?
As another argument here, read from the website of the IMF why it has been prescribing the removal of subsidy to Nigeria noting, or bearing in mind, that it has never done this to the US government concerning the necessities which that government subsidises for Americans. IMF’s argument is that subsidy retention will “promote inefficient allocation of economy’s resources (hindering growth), encourage pollution (contributing to climate change and premature deaths from local air pollution), and are not well targeted at the poor (mostly benefiting higher income house-holds). Removing subsidy and using the revenue gain for better targeted social spending …. can promote sustainable and equitable outcomes”. Source: Why do we care about fossil fuel subsidies, IMF, www.imf.com. It is noted that the amount not paid as subsidy to reduce suffering, poverty, diseases and deaths will be paid to IMF to offset the INTEREST on loans taken! Fuel subsidy removal recommendation and these claims are strategies for the repayment!
Note very serious: ALL reasons given, except about climate change, are the arguments of Mr. Obi. Therefore, he committed plagiarism. If the IMF means to deal with diseases and deaths in Nigeria, it should demand the retention of subsidy, the termination of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for farming and the production of deadly genetically modified foods (GM foods). Nigeria did not contribute to climate change!
Another perspective for understanding the mindlessness, criminality and civil wrong of what Mr. Obi said and the action of Chief Tinubu are the answers to three questions, viz: Is the removal of subsidy on fuel the only option? Is it the best option? Is it a permanent solution to the problem? NO, obviously, for all the questions! The only solution is the application of Cause-Effect relationship. It works for ALL problems. The principle is that in order to solve a problem honestly, objectively and permanently, the cause of the problem should be identified and removed. When this is done, the problem dies naturally. The cause of fuel subsidy is that Nigerian crude oil is taken abroad where it is refined then brought back and sold at international market price. Therefore, the honest and permanent solution is to stop this. All refining should be done in Nigeria. Why has the IMF never recommended refining this?
SUBSIDY IS AN EFFECT. NO OTHER ACTION WILL DEAL WITH IT HONESTLY AND PERMANENTLY BECAUSE ALL OTHER ACTIONS DEAL WITH EFFECT: — SUBSIDY!
*Odor, an independent researcher and public good promoter, lives in Akoka, Lagos, and can be reached by email: princepeteraweleodor@gmail.com
Vanguard
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment