*Asks President To Boost Internal Refining Capacity, Introduce Tax Reliefs For Oil Industry In Order To Reduce Fuel Cost In The Long-run
The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA SPIDEL) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider his decision to disburse N8,000 to twelve million Nigerian families as palliatives to alleviate the adverse effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
In a statement signed by it Chairman, John Aikpokpo-Martins and Secretary, Funmi Adeogun, the Section raised concerns about the effectiveness and transparency of such a money-sharing arrangement, emphasizing that past experiences with similar policies have proven to be poverty-activating rather than poverty-alleviating.
While acknowledging the government’s attempt to address the hardships faced by Nigerians due to the subsidy removal, NBA SPIDEL pointed out the lack of accountability in previous money-sharing initiatives, citing instances where public funds were mismanaged and misappropriated. The section urged President Tinubu to redirect the funds saved from the subsidy removal towards the provision of social amenities that would directly and positively impact the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“While we commend the Federal Government for attempting to be alive to its obligation to cushion the hardships occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal, the point must immediately be made that the proposed money-sharing arrangement is not in the best interest of the country especially when regard is had to similar experiences in the past, especially under the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari; money-sharing policies are poverty-activating rather than poverty-alleviating and thus have inconsequential impacts on the lives of the citizenry.
Under Buhari’s leadership, public funds were grossly mis-managed in the name of palliatives. It was in Nigeria that hundreds of billions of naira were said to have been used to feed school children, even when schools were under lock and key following lockdown restrictions improved as part of measures to halt spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Then there was the TraderMoni show of shame. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, there’s hardly any empirical means of identifying the poor or the needy amongst Nigerians. It is common knowledge, that more often than not, in the past, jobs and facilities intended for the poor and the needy had ended up being grabbed by politicians to be shared to their relatives and cronies.”
The statement continued, “The various large chunk of the public funds appropriated for the so-called “conditional cash transfer” programme under the Buhari administration has not been properly accounted for, thus putting into serious doubt the credibility, transparency and equity of the process.”
Additionally, NBA SPIDEL called upon the President to focus on boosting Nigeria’s internal refining capacity and introducing tax reliefs in the oil industry to lower the cost of fuel in the long run. The organization stressed that Nigerians are presently struggling to sustain their livelihoods due to the exorbitant fuel prices and emphasized the need for sustainable solutions that would benefit all citizens.
They said, “This being the case, it is important that President Tinubu should know that Nigerians depend on him and trust his judgment to ensure that the funds saved from subsidy removal do not end up in private pockets under the guise of some nebulous and opaque social security programme whose effect on the average suffering Nigerian cannot be felt or guaranteed. There is therefore an urgen need for Mr. President to re-consider the policy especially with a view to re- directing all funds saved from subsidy removal towards provision of such social amenities as are sure to have direct positive impact on the lives of average Nigerians, instead of appropriating funds for bogus programmes and audio projects thus making such appropriated funds susceptible to misapplication and misappropriation. Mr. President, we trust you to spend public funds wisely.as there is no longer any margin for errors.
As things stand, looking at the reality on ground and judging from past experiences, there is hardly any credible evidence that your proposed money-sharing project of N8,000 per family for six months for 12 million Nigerian families wouldn’t turn out as one of those bogus, impact-less projects. We therefore respectfully urge you, Mr President to consider shelving any policy that would not directly or indirectly impact positively on the lives and standard of living of ordinary Nigerians. We expect Mr. President to concentrate on how to boost the internal refining capacity of crude oil, introducing tax reliefs in the oil industry etc, with the ultimate aim of bringing down the cost of fuel within a couple of months. Nigerians are presently living above their incomes due to the indecent high cost of fuel. This state of affairs is not sustainable in the long run. The patience of Nigerians has been severely tested and still been tested, therefore, no policy of government must be provocative. We dare say that this decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to share N8,000 to 12 million family is highly provocative.”
In conclusion, NBA SPIDEL appealed to President Tinubu to shelve the proposed N8,000 palliative policy and instead prioritize measures that would have a tangible and lasting positive impact on the lives and standard of living of ordinary Nigerians. The organization also urged the President to design a comprehensive plan to enhance Nigeria’s refining capacity and reduce the cost of fuel, in order to provide relief to the Nigerian population.
The Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law expressed their hope that President Tinubu would heed their call and make decisions that prioritize the well-being of the Nigerian people.
The post Petrol Subsidy Removal: Shelve N8000 Palliative For 12 Million Families — NBA SPIDEL To President Tinubu appeared first on nairalaw.com.
