BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, OKEY NDIRIBE, PROVIDENCE OBUH, MONSUR OLOWOOEPEO & OAMEN AREGUAMEN
LAGOS— “WE have been treated to this fuel subsidy story since 1999. It has been the same sing song: ‘We will use the proceeds to provide amenities, build roads, provide healthcare, etc’. But none of the promises has been fulfilled. Rather, corruption has grown in leaps and bounds. More fuel price increase, more corruption.”

With these words eminent Nigerians and leaders of prominent pressure groups, ethnic nationality and religious groups, as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),yesterday, resolved to fight to standstill, government’s planned removal of fuel subsidy from next year.

At a meeting hosted by erudite jurist and former Education Secretary, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), the citizens drawn from The Patriots, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Pro-National Conference Organisations (PRONACO), NLC, Muslim Rights Concern (MRC) among others, said they could not fold their arms and watch the nation descend into avoidable disintegration.

Notable leaders at the parley, which has raised a Tactical Committee to liaise with the government on the burning issues facing the nation include Nwabueze, eminent Economist, Professor Adebayo Adedeji; erudite accountant, Senator David Dafinone; PFN and Christian community leader, Reverend Moses Iloh; NLC Acting President, Comrade Joseph Ajaero; Action Alliance National Chairman, Senator Sulaimon Salau; MRC leader, Dr. Lakin Akintola, YCE National Secretary, Dr. Kunle Olajide; Professor Angelicus Onasanyo, AA 2011 Presidential Candidate, Comrade Martins Onovo and PRONACO Spokesman, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi. They met under the banner of Project Nigeria National Consensus Group (PNNCG).

They met as civil society groups staging a one million man march against the proposed removal of fuel subsidy and the planned privatization of power supply in the country, disrupted activities at Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja for hours yesterday.

Among the civil society groups under the million man march tagged: ‘Let there be light in Nigeria” are the Committee for Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Committee for the Protection of People’s Mandate (CPPM) and Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO).

Meanwhile, the Head of European Union’S delegation in Nigeria, Mr David Macrae has applauded the Federal Government’s planned removal of fuel subsidy saying that the attendant benefits far out-weighed those of subsidy retention.

Defective constitution, federalism

The eminent Nigerians, who linked most of the problems afflicting the country such as corruption, poverty amid plenty, ethno-religious

crises among others to defective constitution and federalism, said they were determined “to save Nigeria from collapse.”

Said Nwabueze: “In confronting the problems facing Nigeria today we must all work together The problem first and foremost has to do with the constitution. We claim to have transited to a democracy. Have we really? Can there be democracy without democratic constitution?

Ours is to try to evolve a democratic constitution and to do this you must involve the people through a referendum. You cannot talk about a national conference without involving ethnic nationalities. We must have a peoples’ constitution. We have never had a people’s constitution in this country. Some people in the National Assembly are saying ‘no’ because they want to amend the constitution.

If you want to amend the constitution and touch fundamental issues, you must go to the people. You don’t touch fundamental structure without going to the people. We hope that the National Assembly and government will listen so that Nigeria will not collapse because if Nigeria collapses, it will fall on all of us. We won’t let happen.”

EU endorses FG’s plan

The EU Chief backed subsidy removal yesterady in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.

He further called on Nigerians to support the deregulation policy as it was in the best interest of the masses so that the accrued resources would be channeled towards other developmental projects for the purpose of generating jobs for the teeming populace.

Macrae also assured the Minister that the EU would partner with the Nigerian Government on job creation to address unemployment in the country in line with the Transformational Agenda of the Nigerian Government.

According to him: “ I think it is right to say that amongst issues of the highest importance to the good of Nigerians is the quest for employment which government alone can not do and as the Minister of labour you have the direct involvement”.

In his own remarks, Chief Wogu commended the EU Ambassador for the support on job creation and said that government alone could not provide employment for its teeming populace

“As you rightly said, government alone cannot provide employment; private sector should be part of it, our bilateral friends should be part of it; we expect that the European Union would support the Country” he said.

Chief Wogu also said that the planned removal of fuel subsidy is with the best intention to help the masses and to improve on the economy with the intention that the end result would lead to improvement in the employment situation of the Country.

“Government has planned massive accompanying intervention schemes in the key sectors such as transportation, education, health and establishment of indigenous refineries among other safety nets,” Wogu said, adding that his ministry had commenced social dialogue and constructive engagement with the labour unions to resolve misgivings on the matter.

Civil society groups stage one million man protest

The civil society groups barricaded the entrance of the office of Governor Babatunde Fashola and other roads, obstructing the free flow of traffic for several hours.

They insisted on seeing the governor before leaving but all attempts to see Fashola proved abortive. The governor sent Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources Mr. Taofik Tijani and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, to see them.

Disappointed, the angry protesters said: “We are disappointed in Fashola, we have always respected him as somebody who is highly educated, but for him not to deem it fit to grant us five minutes of his time, we are surprised and disappointed.”

According to the group, the million march rally was a peaceful protest to present their letter to the governor to forward it to President Goodluck Jonathan for proper action.

The protesters were harmed with used electricity bulb and lanterns and placards with different inscriptions: ‘electricity is our right’; ‘Jonathan give Nigerians light’; ‘Jonathan light up Nigeria’; ‘Fuel subsidy is a lie’ and ‘Jonathan let there be light in Nigeria’ among others.

According to CPPM coordinator, Mr. Nelson Ekujumi, “The attempted removal of the fuel subsidy by the federal government is a declaration of total war on the Nigerian masses. We want to assure President Goodluck Jonathan that he would meet us on the field. We will fight with the last drop of our blood.”

Ekujumi added: “It takes just two years and N20 billion to build a new refinery. And over the weekend, the federal government said they will spend N310 billion to subsidize kerosene in the next fiscal year. So what is the problem that they cannot fix the existing refineries and build new ones?.

And the reason why our refineries stopped working is that those who are in power are the ones sabotaging this country. Subsidy is a lie. For the Federal Government to say they are subsidising kerosene is a lie because if they refine crude oil, there are many by-products that come from it. So where are the by-products?”

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, who was allowed to address the protesters after much pleading, said “the state government is happy that you are assisting the state government in the struggle.

We are with you in this struggle because whatever success you achieve from this will be for the benefit of 18 million Nigerians. It is shameful that Nigeria cannot boast of 24 hours power supply.

The cost of operating on generator is huge for any entrepreneur to bear. That is the reason why the Lagos state government is with you in this struggle.”