Have you noticed? Have you observed? The hailers of this government have lost steam in them. They have been consumed by their own arguments. The hailers and bootlickers are losing ground fast.
They have become extremely weary. They are worn out, tired. They can’t sustain the tempo with which they ushered in this government. So? They are yielding to stark realities. They no longer rake like the time of old.
They told us during electioneering. We should “follow the person who knows the road.” We were forced to do their bidding. Even though we were not that convinced by any means.
That has turned out to be our undoing. Our rulers will not stop tumbling, toppling. At every of their reckless steps. They sink more and more into confusion. In our already highly suffocated space. They have slipped us into chaos, disarray and disorderliness.
These do-gooders won’t allow us rest. They are at their dastardly act one more time. It was nearly a done deal for them earlier this week. They nearly took us through another excruciating period of fuel scarcity. But high heavens disappointed them.
The elements they are made of are stranger than fiction. They detest any form of comfort for us. They hate it when we are in a pleasant mood. Our misfortune is their fortune. They are at great pain, when we are at ease.
The reason they jump for exceeding joy. When they see us in grief and distress. Wishing that will last till eternity. What a wishful thinking! Theirs is a weird type of species.
Once we survive their wicked plans. They become sad, dejected. And they go back to their filthy drawing board. Plotting evil and sadness for us. It was well orchestrated as usual. It followed their nasty template.
Like they did last Monday. They first flew their hideous kite. Got it hyped to instil fear in us. The following Tuesday, the media couldn’t resist them. They fell flat to the diabolical plan.
They screamed: “Fuel scarcity looms!” The second day, queues started building up at fuel stations. And there was instant celebration in the camp of our unrepentant adversaries. Mission accomplished. And to our greatest detriment! But no sooner, the queues vamoosed. What great relief!
We have been scammed again and again. They exploited the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), to the maximum. It was one opportunity our foes waited patiently for.
They were on the look out. Mounting surveillance for such a rare chance. Watching closely many days and nights. IPMAN unconsciously presented that opportunity on a gold platter. They grabbled it. And ran with it at the speed of light.
IPMAN was just making an innocent, genuine and legitimate demands. It has two grave challenges on its brittle laps. The duo is apposite to its continued existence. So it strongly believes. Its members’ businesses are dangerous dragging to extinct.
Their lifeline lies in the huge N100 billion owed them. The debtor agency is Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). But they wouldn’t want to call it debt. They opt to decorate it as bridging claims. And that’s the crux of the matter.
These claims represent “the cost of transporting fuel from the former Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) depots to approved zones.” It was meant “to ensure a uniform pump price across the country, which was administered by Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF).”
The claims accumulated over time to 2021. That was when the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) became effective. NMDPRA inherited the N100 billion liability, after migrating from PEF. It is strictly in synergy with the provisions in PIA. There and then, NMDPRA stuck its neck out.
It promised, without mincing words to settle and trash the claims. It never did. Promise made, promise un-kept. It is in our character. IPMAN chairman, Gombe Depot, Alhaji Abdul Ibrahim, exposed the deceit. He shouted it loud in Abuja on Monday:
“One year after our last demand requesting the payment of more than N100 billion owed to our members in bridging claims, the management of the NMDPRA has ignored our demand.”
Surprised? Never. Ever. That is the despicable manner in which they ruin us. They are not to be believed; not to be trusted. They can’t for a second walk their talk. It’s nauseating for them to keep a covenant.
They comfortably break vows with reckless impunity. They care less, not even a hoot. NMDPRA actually swore to offset the debts within 40 days. IPMAN put a lie to that:
“Forty days have today become months with no hope of our payment. The nine northern depots comprising Jos, Gusau, Suleija, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Yola and Maiduguri have become completely grounded over this lingering debt.
“These debts being owed to us are monies belonging to marketers and which were deducted from us at the point of payments for products, in order to settle our bridging allowances.
“We have also continued to record deaths of our members, closure of their businesses, retrenchment of staff and the take-over of their business premises by commercial banks. These are all arising from this refusal of the NMDPRA to pay us our monies.”
The same Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State. Chairman, IPMAN Western Zone, Chief Joseph Akanni, visibly threatened a shutdown of operations. He was furious and he voiced it out:
“Tankers carrying a combined total of 1.35million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), were arrested early Saturday morning by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASMA) and taken to the agency’s yard in Oshodi.”
You may choose to ponder aloud. What’s IPMAN stress in this? Akanni responded: “An injury to one is an injury to all.” He expressed solidarity with Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
He’s not done yet. He insisted: “What the Ministry of Transport has done is against the law.” He then issued a stern warning: “It is dangerous to keep tankers with petrol in one location because petrol is flammable.”
Pity, see what we have become: “The information reaching us is that they have started siphoning petrol from the tankers, which implies that we won’t have the same quantity as when it was towed.”
Akanni’s final words: “If nothing is done, we are ready to shut down our petrol stations across the South West in solidarity with the tanker drivers.” GBAM!
Now, we ask, again and again. Where are wailing hailers of fuel subsidy removal? All their calculations have faltered. All failed to hold water. They couldn’t sustain just one. They watched all crash on their heads. And before their very eyes. There’s nowhere to hide.
When they swore that demand and supply would be the sole determinants of subsequent fuel prices. They were myopic and acutely short sighted. They didn’t think out of their small, caged box.
They wouldn’t have considered other exigencies. They were naive to have ignored IPMAN and its first cousins. They are in collective solidarity. Offend one offend all. IPMAN demonstrated that spirit to the delight of all that Monday.
Our queer clime is wildly wired. It’s the epicentre of absurdities, inanities and abnormalities. Our type of economy walks the law of demand and supply on its head. Of course here, laws are obeyed in crude and utter disobedience. What’s good for the goose is never suitable for the gander. We have made a maximum mess of that. And we continue to grope in total ignorance.
In times past, these wailing hailers were audacious. They had many times carried this ugly campaign beyond our shores. They wondered into foreign lands. They collated their pump prices. To justify the unjust increase in our own price.
They argued our “ridiculous low” pump price was responsible for our scarcity. They vowed that a hike in fuel price would solve “all” our problems. They were cock-sure that it would end smuggling of oil into neighbouring countries. And the much-flaunted law of demand and supply would rule our waves.
Most importantly. It would put more money at our disposal. And their interpretation; more development and economic growth. None of these postulations ever happened.
We have removed fuel subsidy several times over. We never witnessed any positive change. Except, more removals and endless increase in fuel price. The painful result has been motion without movement.
The hailers deliberately festered fuel crisis. They did it to their advantage and favour. They followed it up with rigours. They feasted on it to their benefit. Callous and cold-hearted!
The reason they couldn’t wait for IPMAN’s ultimatum to expire. The association gave a seven-day ultimatum. But the hawks struck immediately. They were in a mad rush to unleash their wickedness on us.
IPMAN only gave an expression of intention. The ultimatum barely started counting. Negotiations are still on going. Yet, the wicked among us went to work. They wanted to make fuel scarcity happen to us in jiffy.
They are extremely uncomfortable that we are comfortable. They derive uncommon delight in our collective plight. Energy crisis is their first love, in fact, their only love. Their ultimate goal. It’s their destination, their common port of call.
They wanted to land us there by every means. Even though we were unwilling. Do you blame them? Government generously provided the enabling environment. Its negligence and irresponsibility are our sources of sorrow.
The media can never be exonerated. We are the willing accomplices in this unholy act. We need a deep rethink. And a sincere reset of mind. We ought to intentionally be mindful of our social responsibilities. We have a huge role to play in the direction.
We must be responsible and responsive. Some news items are detrimental and damaging to the wellbeing of the people. Now is the time to be more sensitive, up and doing in performing our equally delicate duties.
We must guide our loins not to increase people’s discomfort. Fuel scarcity has become the chief of them. We need not hype fuel scarcity. Even, when we see one coming. Let’s strive to douse tension. And not escalate it.
Some unscrupulous characters are feeding fat on that. We will be helping their dubious business. And the citizens will always be the worst for it.
Our ugly experiences have confirmed that on many instances. Let’s be honestly deliberate about it.