Checkpointcharley has read and listened carefully to the arguments of those in favour of removal of petroleum subsidy. What I have not heard from them is: What now is the benefit to Nigerians for being citizens of a major oil producer and exporter?
We are all from a village. It is like when your grandmother plucks pears from the pear trees on your compound and takes all to the market to sale, without given you a piece to taste. And she is not even ready to offer you the pears to buy at a discount. She insists that you must pay the market value.
We have been bombarded with textbook macroeconomic reasons for the deregulation. However, President Muhammadu Buhari and his minister of petroleum have failed to tell us what the position is in Venezuela, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other oil producing developing countries.
In major oil exporters, that are still developing like Nigeria, citizens enjoy free health care, free education, affordable housing, affordable car loans etc, plus the fact that they buy fuel at a cheap price.
I fail to understand how Buhari, who had antagonised the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan for a partial removal of fuel subsidy not too long ago, could now turn around and smugly remove the same subsidy totally.
Due to fantastic corruption, the Nigerian State failed to develop infrastructure. This leaves Nigerian households fuel-dependent in their effort to even get a slice of gutter life. With salaries not paid in months, how could they survive buying fuel at N145 per litre?
The jerking of fuel price to N145, under the prevailing circumstances, is morally perverse. Needless to say it is illegal. Finally, Buhari has removed his mask.
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