Fuel Price Hike: Journalists, Arise And Save Nigerians

BY SABASTINE SAIDU ABU

I am increasingly worried that we as journalists have turned our unique profession into praise singing of our political oppressors and dedicating more time to sponsored public relations writings instead of engaging in the real national issues that affects us and all Nigerians.

Imagine us, Journalists, who fought the military dictators to a standstill and enthroned democracy have suddenly developed weak voices like hypnotized community.

There are burning national issues before us and I therefore call on you, my colleagues to shout out (sóró sokê).

On Tuesday, precisely July 18, 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), directed the increase in pump price of PMS from N500 to N620 without any prior notice to the public as a consequence of the fuel subsidy removal in what the organisation described as a response to market forces.

It is really unfortunate that this increase in the price of petroleum products is happening at a time that most Nigerians are still struggling to recover from the shock of the initial triple increment of PMS pump price following the subsidy removal which further pushed up the country’s inflation rate, led to the depreciation of the Naira and the attendant rise in cost of goods and services, especially food commodities with no corresponding increment in salaries of workers.

As an immediate response, the federal government directed a review of is palliative proposal of gifting N8,000 each to 64 million identified poor Nigerians. One wonders who has not been made poor in Nigeria under this depressed economy and what the palliative fund proposed can do?

It is obvious that this so-called proposed palliative is just another way of manipulating extremely hungry citizens by the country’s leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had severally in the past objected to the idea of fuel subsidy removal in one full swoop by previous administrations.

We are Journalists and we know from our experiences that this palliative shenanigan will not work and that we are also going to suffer the consequences as individuals. Unfortunately, some of us have taken the role of being the purveyors of this misplaced so-called policy intervention.

Journalists must arise and speak truth to power about the deplorable plight of Nigerians. This is my take.

All this palliative is nonsense. Let the Federal Government sincerely fix the existing refineries, build new ones and let the country be producing refined fuel locally to reduce and stabilize cost in the country. Even Dangote, who claimed to have built one which was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari before leaving office with a promise to start commercial production this July 2023, is already failing and appears to have opted for import by obtaining an import license instead of production in Nigeria because it will pay him (not Nigerians) more.

With the unstable way Nigeria is going, no organisation, not even families in Nigeria can plan, and when we do not plan, we already plan to fail.

It is almost certain that we have not seen the end of the rise of fuel price in Nigeria and the worse may still be ahead of us. Hopefully, there may be positive outcomes from all of these in the future.

Reading from several concerned Nigerians on this development, Ambassador Professor Abdullahi Yabaikwal writes: “We must not mistake the seeming calm in the society as approval of these policies in the midst of severe hit on people’s livelihoods and their survival. People could react violently at the slightest trigger. So, be careful where you go to, what you say in public, how you spend in public or how you respond to people (especially artisans, law enforcement officers etc.) in public”.

“Meanwhile, let us be observant of the people around us, let’s offer counsel and support to people that may be in serious survival needs or related issues,” he advised.

To survive and maintain a good mental health, generally try to maintain a positive attitude to all these developments, and even explore the opportunities (for you and for the business) that may be in these situations we find ourselves. Because, there may be some, as there always is in all crisis.

Somehow, all will be well by God’s Grace.

…Dr. Abu teaches Mass Comm at Bingham University, Karu