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By Vivian Onyebukwa
In this interview, Comrade. Austin Ikubese, a Lagos-based entrepreneur and politician, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bring down the pump price of petrol to less than N200 per litre, and diesel to a reasonable price of at least N300 per litre.
Among other issues, he urged the President to send a bill to the National Assembly and pass into law a bill that will allow 30 percent of Nigeria’s crude oil be refined for local consumption.
What can you say about the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the President of Nigeria?
May I use this medium to officially congratulate our President, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man I believe we share something in common, that is, not giving up on your vision, no matter how long it takes. He said he always had the ambition to become the President of Nigeria and all he was doing all these years was strategizing. He teamed up to democratically dethrone a President, democratically enthroned another and now he is the President without shooting a gun. No politician in Nigerian and I doubt if there is any in Africa, maybe Nelson Mandela, or anywhere in the world, that has that record. If there is any I know, they are not more than two or three. His slogan during the electioneering campaign, ‘Emilokan’ which means (it’s my turn), has now become an household slogan in churches, mosques and the society at large. Today, that slogan has been adopted as a word of faith. He went further to say ‘Afo Obaje ma je oba’, which means a kingmaker can become a king, when he was asked by a journalist in one of his interviews during the electioneering campaign, which is contrary to the Yoruba proverb. I think that proverb might be reviewed by the Yoruba elders because Asiwaju has also broken that record.
What message can you pass to him now that he has become the President?
I want to appeal to Mr. President as a comrade and community leader that a lot is really being expected from him. Looking at how he has been a political activist right from his days in NADECO that fought the military junta and has held all major political offices in Nigeria, once a senator, governor and now our President. Let me believe that he is still in the mood of celebrating his victory as the President; also allowing his cabinet members to travel outside the country in large numbers with him. You know what it means when you hit it once and you get it when others have tried up to four times and never get it. I want to believe 2024 will not be the same fun time for Mr. President and his cabinet members. Therefore, I want to put this challenge to His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and appeal to him, which I believe he has the political courage to do so, that is to bring down the pump price of PMS, which is petrol, to less than N200 per litre, and also the AGO diesel to a reasonable price of at least N300 per litre. I will also suggest a way to get this done. I was so sad to hear Mele Kyari, the Group Executive Director of NNPC, on Channels TV some weeks ago saying, even if our refineries are working, that the pump price per litre of petrol cannot be less than what it is today. That was a wrong call. Looks like he truly does not know the hardship that is going on in Nigeria today. The President came out with “Renewed Hope” agenda. Mele Kyari’s statement does not give Nigeria the desired hope in line with the President’s agenda. I appeal and suggest to the President to send a bill to the National Assembly and pass into law a bill that will allow 30 percent of our crude oil be refined for local consumption either by Dangote Refinery or any of the four refineries. The 30 percent crude for local consumption should be quoted in naira, not in dollars, and government should set up a strong task force drawn from civil society, labour unions, etc, with men of proven integrity to monitor the activities of the refineries; also the vessels that will deliver the crude oil to the refineries and the refined products, PMS and AGO, etc. The vessels should be painted with national colours for easy monitoring and identification by the security agencies to avoid diverting these products outside the borders of Nigeria. The law should be strong enough that anyone found diverting these products should face life imprisonment. Dangote Refinery should be given 10 percent out of the 30 percent, while the remaining 20 percent be distributed among the four refineries or any of them that will be operational by early this year as being planned. A section of Dangote refinery should be dedicated for local production for Nigerian consumption while major parts of his refinery can produce for exports and the crude for that can be in dollars as usual. This will bring down 360 degrees the pump price per litre of PMS and diesel to less than N200 per litre and less than N300 per litre, respectively. It will also reduce the pressure on our naira because the demand for forex will reduce drastically, thereby attracting both local and foreign investors to go back to business. Nigeria will then begin to enjoy our God-given wealth just like every other oil-producing countries blessed with oil such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, etc.
Our President has a record of taking bold steps like he did when he was the governor of Lagos State with the vision to drive away Atlantic Ocean (Bar Beach) and turned it into a mega city (Eko Atlantic). He contested to be a President of Nigeria just once and declared Emilokan (it is my time) and God granted it. Even when his own party at the federal level worked against him yet he was focused and God stood by him to be our President today, because he is destined to make hard decisions that will be of benefit to mankind and Nigerians as a whole.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently advised Nigerian government to increase Petrol Pump Price to N750. What can you say about it?
They said this in order to snuff life out of the common people in Nigeria and to add to the hardship the country is going through so we can continue to borrow money from them and be servicing an endless interest on the loan. This is the way the western world has been milking Africa. Nigerians are pleading and asking the President for a new year 2024 gifts by taking the bold steps which he is known for with this request to Nairalize, if there is any English word like that- 30 percent of our crude for local consumption, and fix our refineries. People believe nothing goes up in Nigeria that ever comes down. I assure the President that, if properly monitored, in 6 month’s time, Nigeria’s economy will improve drastically just like what happened in the telecommunication Industry when it was privatized, and history will never forget him for wiping away hardship in this country. I appeal to every media house – prints, electronics and social media including the veteran TV Journalist of TVC, Channel TV, AIT, Arise TV etc, to kindly make this 30 percent Naira of our crude for local production/consumption a major subject of discussions in other to help our dear President because the cabals will fight back as they will not want it to work. Therefore, let 30 percent of our crude oil refined locally for local consumption be quoted in Naira, not Dollar.
What advice do you have for Nigerians and politicians, too?
May I use this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians irrespective of any political party you belong to, to please let us work in love and unity and speak positive about our dear country so that outsiders can speak good about us too. It is the name you call your dog that others will call your dog.
I also want to appeal to the Lagos State Government, especially the State House of Assembly not to make laws that will be too hostile to non-indigenes in the state due to the outcome of 2023 General Election; most especially the gubernatorial election because two wrongs cannot make a right. The game of politics is a game of numbers all over the world. I urge them to remain friendly and accommodating as usual.
