By Kate Henshaw

January 9, 2012 was the day NLC/TUC carried out its promise to commence a nationwide strike against the removal of petrol subsidy which the Federal Government packaged as New Year gift for Nigerians.

There began the impasse which lasted for four days. Amidst talks between labour and government, a motion was passed by the House of Representatives on the way forward,and the Federal Government maintained its resolve not to back down from its stance and so did labour.

Nigerians did not envisage the intensity or direction of the stand-off though the NLC/TUC had said it would be the mother of all strikes. It seemed like a one- day thing that would see both sides coming back to the negotiating table , but alas! that was not the case.

Soon enough, there were wildfire slogans being chanted everywhere :“ OCCUPY NIGERIA”, “SAVE NIGERIA GROUP”,”SLEEVESUP” , ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” to mention a few. By day two , it had shifted from the issue of the subsidy removal to the people demanding accountability, transparency, good governance, reduction of the high cost of government expenditure and the provision of basic infrastructure for every citizen of Nigeria.

Tensions were high and government sent out its most brilliant minds in the persons of the CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Minister of Petroleum, Dezianni Allison-Madueke, Coordinating Minister and IMF MD, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala who threw out the best in their arsenal but the figures being churned out instead opened the eyes of the people to the rot and wastage in government.

But government admitted that they were powerless to act against the cabal that has been bleeding them dry and sucking away trillions of naira meant for the development of Nigeria thereby robbing the citizenry of much needed succour.

The Federal Government wanted the populace to believe that this same cabal was holding them to ransom and had their hands tied behind their backs. They were asking the people to help them wrest power from the cabal in order to safe guard the future of Nigerians.

Who are the cabal? Are they faceless? If so, how then do we hold them accountable if we cannot see them,having seen that they have taken the form of spirits? The Coordinating Minister spoke of sharp practices in the payment of subsidy for petrol by individuals that have been given the license to import the product.

Individuals and companies were accused of just presenting papers of importation and then were paid by NNPC for the product. They were also accused of diverting the product to neighbouring countries where it will be sold at a higher price. They were accused of doctoring the volume of petrol brought in for distribution in Nigeria.

This means that we still have a long way to go to eradicate corruption in our midst. How then and when do we enjoy the benefits of being one of the largest oil producing nations in the world when we have to buy a product we produce at an exorbitant price?

The 2012 budget has not been passed by the National Assembly as it is still being considered. It is said to contain therein a provision for subsidy of petrol but the Presidency decided to remove the subsidy anyway. Who does checks on the amount of petrol being imported to ensure it is as claimed on the documents required for payment? If there are sharp practices, it is an indictment on the NNPC, DPR and Customs and whoever along the line is responsible for this verification.

It shows collusion to short -change the government of much needed funds ,but wait a minute, what about monies that have been saved from the deregulation of diesel and kerosene(which by the way is still scarce) meant to be ploughed into the provision of infrastructure, social welfare, security, education, health and roads? The people are yet to see any dividends.

The crux of the matter is that trust in government has been completely eroded. Past leaders have promised us the proverbial Golden Fleece but have stopped short of delivering it to Nigerians. Up till now, we still cannot boast of a world class standard airport, good roads, health care, sound education, constant electricity, potable water, security and welfare packages.

It breaks my heart when I hear and watch in the news what old people go through just to collect their pensions. Some die in the process. It is quite disheartening that after 51 years of independence, we are still a third world country with all that we have at our disposal.

When people come out en masse to vote for you, put their trust in you, believe that you will indeed lead them in the right way, have their needs as a priority in your scale of preference, it is a slap on the face when you get there and ignore their cries for help. Leadership is by example and if any change should come, it must as a necessity start from the top.