Hike: Buhari’s Past Rolls Back 8 Years After ‘Stage-managed’ Fuel Subsidy Removal Protest

….Presidency Says History Will Be Kind To Buhari For Eliminating Evil Associated With Subsidies

President Muhammadu Buhari may have incurred the wrath of a section of Nigerians who are angry over what they termed his ignoble role played in the reported ‘stage-managed’ nationwide 2012 fuel subsidy removal protest.

This is coming on the backdrop of his remarks on the recent hike in electricity tariff and petrol price in the country.

Buhari has received series of bashes on the social media from Nigerians for leading “Occupy Nigeria” protest against subsidies removal in 2012 whilst capitulating to do same in 2020.

BIGPEN recalls that in 2012, when Nigerian former President Goodluck Jonathan abruptly removed fuel subsidy provided to citizens by the government, the country literally went up in flame, apparently because ‘some self-styled activist’ had mobilised Nigerians and stormed the streets in protest of what they described as anti-people economy policy of the government.

The protest which was dubbed “Occupy Nigeria”, was held in many cities including densely populated city of Kano, Lagos and Abuja.

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The protest which was backed by various unions in the country, including the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Medical Association and Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), was followed by a national strike beginning 9 January of that year.

Among those who championed the fuel subsidy removal protest was the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, APC national leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Dino Melaye, incumbent Kaduna state governor, Malam El-rufai, and a host of others.

However, following barrage of criticism trailing hike in price of petrol and electricity eight years after, the Presidency on Monday, said that the APC-led government of President Buhari which came to power in 2015 defeating an incumbent administration amidst very high expectations, would be remembered for muscling up the political will to stamp out petrol subsidies.

According to the presidency, the APC-led government has worked hard to meet many expectations of Nigerians, but still, there are certain tough decisions which had to be taken to put back the country on the path of sustainable development.

Buhari’s special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement said, “To stop the mismanagement of taxpayer money, eliminate corruption associated with subsidies on petroleum products, power, fertilizer among others, the administration took the decision to implement long-delayed reforms, withdraw and allow the market to determine their prices.

The Presidency alluded that the Jonathan’s administration was right to suggest fuel subsidy removal in the petroleum industry and other reforms but apparently lack the courage to take the bold decision.

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The statement further reads; “Subsidy removal in these sectors had long been foreseen by successive administrations as game changers in search of solutions to move forward with the nation’s development.

“These are reforms that are necessary and overdue. Blueprint upon blueprint, timeline upon timeline had come and gone but courage to take bold decisions was not there.

“Over the last few days, one claim acquiring a potent resonance with the online community, sections of the labour movement and the opposition is that the actions are ill-timed and ill-advised.

“There is nothing new in the fact that the country is today fighting multiple challenges along with COVID-19, including low earnings, near-collapse of the oil market, floods, threats of terrorism and banditry but the challenges notwithstanding, a good government must take decisions for the people’s good.

“As President, Muhammadu Buhari takes these difficult decisions, both popular and unpopular and as a leader because he is demonstrating the right courage to take such decisions as they become necessary in view of present circumstances.

“History will be kind to President Buhari because in addition to his amazing ability to command votes, he will be remembered as the President who made real contributions to economic and overall national development by eliminating the evils of corruption embedded in subsidies.

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“In any democracy, the most important certificate in governance is acceptance by the people and, with the support of ordinary Nigerians, President Buhari has shown a rare determination to carry out the bold initiatives as these ones driven by nothing other than the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

“In carrying out the reforms, the President needs the support and understanding of all citizens-inclusive of the opposition parties, the labour movement and civil society groups.

“In these challenging times, the President is pushing development goals not politics and history will judge him in favourable terms rather than his critics in the new media and the opposition”, Shehu added in the statement.

But the remarks has sparked wide range criticism on social media with many questioning the moral right of the President to justify the high cost of living in the country when himself and others were at the forefront of campaign against fuel subsidies removal in time past.

One commentator, Muhammad Lawal Tijjani said, “History will remember Buhari as a president who disappointed and betrayed the people that massively voted him into power–with high expectations of alleviating their sufferings. He instead, inflicted upon them more hardships and miseries with his undesirable economic policies”.

Also, another commentator, Ezra Ayuba, wrote; “But same pmb led a protest in 2012 against subsidy removal. What changed?? I hope you will spare some time and go through the comments”.

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It would be recalled that in 2012, the Jonathan’s administration had argued that the removal of the heavy subsidy would free up funds for other public services, including health and infrastructure projects, and that the liberalization of the fuel industry would benefit the economy.

Jonathan was quoted to have said that the January nationwide protest was stage managed by a class of Nigerians who wanted the status quo of corruption in that sector to remain.

Explaining further, the former President had said, “Let me touch on…the January subsidy protest, yes you said the citizens were right, in a way they may be right, in a way they were also misinformed.

“If you had followed the last Earth Summit in Brazil, about two countries came out to condemn the issue of subsidizing hydro carbon all over the world. They stated that subsiding hydro carbon does not bring development.

“Look at the demonstrations back home, look at the areas this demonstrations are coming from, you begin to ask, are these the ordinary citizens that are demonstrating? Or are people pushing them to demonstrate.

“Take the case of Lagos, Lagos is the critical state in the nation’s economy, it controls about 53 per cent of the economy and all tribes are there. The demonstration in Lagos, people were given bottled water that people in my village don’t have access to, people were given expensive food that the ordinary people in Lagos cannot eat. So, even going to eat free alone attracts people. They go and hire the best musician to come and play and the best comedian to come and entertain; is that demonstration? Are you telling me that that is a demonstration from ordinary masses in Nigeria who want to communicate something to government?

Jonathan had queried the motive behind the demonstration.

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“For me, if I see somebody is manipulating anything, I don’t listen to you, but when I see people genuinely talking about issues, I listen. I am hardly intimidated by anybody who wants to push any issue he has. I believe that that protest in Lagos was manipulated by a class in Lagos and was not from the ordinary people”.

Reports say the Jonathan’s government had argued that the primary beneficiaries of the subsidy were the wealthy, who used more fuel than the poor, and wholesalers who made a profit selling subsidized fuel out of the country.

Meanwhile, the Presidency, in a twitter post on Monday, however quoted President Buhari as saying, “There is no provision for fuel subsidy in the revised 2020 budget, simply because we are not able to afford it, if reasonable provisions must be made for health, education and other social services. We simply can not sustain petroleum subsidy”.

But the tweet was followed by several mixed reactions below:

Meanwhile, one of those who vehemently resisted petrol subsidies removal during the Jonathan’s administration, Senator Dino Melaye, however, from his palatial edifice some days ago had shared his thoughts on the ranging discourse of the recent increase in price of petroleum products.

In an earlier twitter post, he said, “When Federal Government is suppose to give the masses palliatives, with increase in the prices of Stamp duty, VAT, electricity and petrol. Nigerians are now the ones organising stimulus packages for the Federal Government”.

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Melaye would later follow up with an Instagram protest post.

He wrote; “It is grossly insensitive, wicked and deliberately callous for Government to increase pump price of petrol in a time like this. Men of good conscience will not watch the lives of Poor Nigerians taking for granted with outrageous ignominy by a stationary Government. 

Apart from Buhari, Dino Melaye and other anti-fuel subsidy removal campaigners in 2012, are not spared in the social media diatribe.