By BASHIR ADEFAKA
“What that means is that, in Saudi Arabia where oil is not only produced but is more LARGELY REFINED, the pump price goes for N168. How has President Buhari lied when he said it does not make sense for such fuel to be cheaper in Nigeria, where the refineries do not work but the product is imported based on foreign exchange? I had expected that Nigerians should have urged the media to use their editorial powers to make a bold statement to government on Nigeria at 60 to fast-track the take off of local refineries e.g. Dangote Refinery and the Modular Refineries.”
With the huge outcry we have heard since President Muhammadu Buhari’s national broadcast Thursday October 1, 2020 on Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary, I can see that we are not yet ready to get out of the wood.
The President read an address of 51 paragraphs making quite a lot of senses. But influenced by media’s editorial direction, which suits them – either collectively or just one broken news now shared by others, some Nigerians mainly down South decided to think it was the best way to go using A SINGLE PARAGRAPH to rubbish the many great development-driven comments contained in the rest 50.
One of the two sides must be wrong: It is either the already known one-way traffic people, quick to react to news only to say later ‘had I known’ or the President with all the advisers and great experience that he has working for Nigeria since the past five years with which he has successfully sustained the nation against expectations of the enemies within and without, with their many failed predictions of collapse.
What is wrong in stating the obvious? “48. Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia.”
Sad enough, people, out misfiring to the direction of anger (and I am also as affected Nigerian as they are), rather than calm down to reflect on the statement, chose to ask if the level of development in Saudi Arabia is comparable to what it is in Nigeria and whether the minimum wage paid in Saudi Arabia is as it is in Nigeria.
I think to a people so battered in the mindset having been subjected to lack of good governance for the first 16 years of the Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, their reactions would justifiably be what we saw because, if they do not believe in the media, then in what or who? But, considering the level of relationship that has existed between the media and the Muhammadu Buhari government since it came in 2015, which is also known to these people, it behooves them to exercise caution in reacting to news especially when it has several times been established how most of the news sometimes were not necessarily playing the expected role of helping the public understand the core and breakdown of government policies and speeches. To me, the media, much as it helps the masses’ voice get to the government, should also balance by helping the government transmit its activities to the layman understanding of the people.
NOW I pick the Saudi Arabia N168 per litre price again, which is equivalently 1.6 Saudi Riyal (SR) and about $.8 per litre in the United States. My calculation is not of a professional economist but a of layman trying to get things explained at his nearest level because $1 exchanges for SR3.75 and it has for couple of years been consistently so.
What that means is that, in Saudi Arabia where oil is not only produced but is more LARGELY REFINED, the pump price goes for N168. How has President Buhari lied when he said it does not make sense for such fuel to be cheaper in Nigeria, where the refineries do not work but the product is imported based on foreign exchange? I had expected that Nigerians should have urged the media to use their editorial powers to make a bold statement to government on Nigeria at 60 to fast-track the take off of local refineries e.g. Dangote Refinery and the Modular Refineries. The public outcry that has sounded since yesterday (Thursday) is overshooting the runway. Very sad!
What is blocking people from seeing this reality? Is it now that the Charles Soludo they trusted so much more than a Yemi Osinbajo is on the economic team of Mr. President that they do not trust his economic calculation or that they just do not want to hear the same President they voted for, just the way they used to destroy Presidents and shop for another one in the past, only for them again to cause confusion and trouble to destroy him and shop for another President?
It is important that Nigerians think about this because, when we say the led are also mainly the problem of the nation, it is not an opinion but fact. Leadership? Not now for now. At least, if we still cry leadership problem as cause of the nation’s woes with an almost faultless man like President Muhammadu Buhari in power, it means if Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) comes down to rule Nigeria, these same Nigerian people will still create problem for to call him the “devil”. God forbid.
But then, at that point, God will be saying “enough” and begin to consider destruction of the generation to be replaced with another. Let people check history of prophethood before the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him), once they so maltreated their prophet (leader), God destroyed the generation and brought up another e.g. the generation to whom Lot was raised etc.
So, we should be careful in Nigeria with the way we criticize and allow the editorial direction of individual business entity that each media organization represents to dictate how we insult and destroy our leaders in government. It is a great crime for you to elect people in government and, when you cannot pin-point a corrupt practice against them, you at the same time serve as ones who, deliberately, also ensure that you use your own impatience or ignorance (which is not recognized by law) to cause confusion in the land so for the society to revolt against them. It is a crime.
We all prayed that God should give us a leader that would take us from, at least, where those in government during the first 16 years before 2015 dumped us. God did and we were so happy. The same people sacked from power, for example Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, TY Danjuma (Goodluck Jonathan has been friendly), Atiku Abukakar and others have continued to make governance almost difficult for the President we elected and now, it is your turn to do the confusionist evil against him so that you can now let the truly sacked ones justify why you made big mistake electing him.
If you do not appreciate the good, great work that President Buhari has done, is doing now and will still do in the future, once Allah appreciates him and blesses him and the rest of the days he has to live and his family have their peace here and in the hereafter, who are the losers, if not you?
So, care think takeabout it because a stitch in time, the adage says, saves nine.
