IN the words of Othman Dan Fodio, conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it. The take away from this axiom is that evil strives in societies where people lack the courage to tell and defend the truth. What is playing out with the above captioned article concerning the unfortunate attack on the Federal Government’s recent efforts at ensuring its roads in Edo State are rehabilitated is reminiscent of a jig saw between truth and falsehood.

IN the first half of this article, which appeared in a number of national dailies just before the just suspended industrial action over oil subsidy removal, I had argued against hitting the barricades and advocated a Government-Labour dialogue as an option for amicable solution.

DR. Goodluck Jonathan, in exercise of his powers as President of Nigeria, decided to remove subsidy on petroleum products. A clear evidence of this act was the non-provision for subsidy in the 2012 budget estimates he sent to the National Assembly.

NOTWITHSTANDING President Goodluck Jonathan’s pledge to consult widely in respect of the earlier proposed removal of subsidy on petroleum products, the president and his clique went on the new year day to impose a heavy and unsustainable price on the product, by announcing the withdrawal of the phanton subsidy.

MANY people have written and are still writing about Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. The debate will go on. Even those who never met Ojukwu would claim that they slept in his house. Chief Ojukwu was different things to different people. His fellow soldiers saw him as an ambitious man. Those outside the military saw him as an intelligent officer who was ready to defend the cause of his people.

I WATCHED, the town hall meeting organised by the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria to debate the planned removal of fuel subsidy, on television. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Minister for Finance, presented government’s position on the need to remove the subsidy. Her scholarly and studious visage conveyed the aura of expertise and credibility.

The draft 2012 budget presented to the Osun State House of Assembly by the Ogbeni Governor is the first to be presented, conceptualized and formulated by the Action Congress of Nigeria government in the state. Fiscal discipline and performance planning represent a central thrust in the conceptualization of the budget.

Every year, Nigeria budgets billions of Naira to finance all round national development, especially in the economic, political and social spheres. In this year’s budget, the Federal Government has proposed to spend N4.749 trillion. Whether this will translate to significant development, at the end of the day, is another kettle of fish, as implementation has always been a big problem.

For a wide majority of Nigerians, the subject matter of corruption has been the bane of development in the country. It is also true that almost every government in the country, especially since the return of democratic rule in 1999, has been mouthing anti-corruption initiatives as a policy of government.

The present arguments being canvassed by antagonists of the transformation in the petroleum sector is premised among other things, on the fact that many African countries subsidise petrol for their citizens. At the risk of sounding harsh, I dare say that this argument is a classic case of half truth.