Mele Kyari’s N410 per litre fuel not any solution
SOME government officials get their kick from annoying Nigerians. Maybe there are prizes to win for the most annoying public officers. Four have stood out most recently. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq made a belated trip to flooded Bayelsa seemingly to condole with the people. She had from the comfort of her Abuja office reached a conclusion that with all the proofs Bayelsa presented, it was not among the top 10 worst hit States.
What was the purpose of the comparison? Was she expressing her intention to pay more attention to her 10 top States? The state government was livid. The people could not believe the official minimisation of the disaster by the Minister.
She made a disaster of her Wednesday’s visit to Bayelsa that should have consoled the people. Governor Douye Diri rightly told her the visit was belated; she missed the opportunity of witnessing the flood as the water had receded. Hajiya Farouq left Bayelsans feeling like she was saying, “nothing happened to you.” “Is what you call flood?”.
Other annoying Ministers include the legendary Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu, who lately admitted that he failed as Minister of Education and the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige who will never admit he did a wrong. The less said about their management of the ASUU strike, the better.
The other is Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. His comments on crude oil theft, fuel subsidy, and fuel scarcity primed him as one who has refused to recognise his own inadequacies in speaking about the most important issues in Nigeria, crude oil and the demand for its refined products. He appears not to care about things he says.
Kyari told the House of Representatives that without subsidy that a litre of petrol will sell for N410. The position was to support the rising billions of Naira - it has hit a trillion Naira already - spent annually in subsidising the importation of refined products. What was his proposed solution? None.
By 1987 when Kyari left the University of Maiduguri, at 22, a litre of petrol was selling for 39 Kobo. Even then, our ears were wearied with series of campaigns that price of fuel needed to go up with the provision that if it did, government would have enough resources to revive the refineries, build new ones, improve public transportation, including trains, electricity and other infrastructure.
These days nobody mentions working refineries as the ultimate cut on fuel subsidy which has become an economy of its own with all the appurtenances readily deployed to defend the wastes and corruption around subsidy.
Why did the earlier increases in the pump price of fuel not stop the subsidy? Where are the infrastructure that was to be built from the savings made on subsidy each of the 32 times pump price has gone up since 1987? The product has an official price for formality, you buy at the going rate at stations nationwide.
Billions of Naira spent annually as bridging fund for petrol to be sold at the same price nationwide is another waste. The billions are still paid though the differences in prices persist.
Here is a major indicator of the corruption in fuel subsidy. There is no agreement among the government agencies on the quantity of fuel consumed daily in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, said Nigeria consumes 66.8 million litres of petrol daily. The figures were released in September 2022.
NNPC’S figures - 98 million litres daily. Customs boss Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali questioned NNPC changing its earlier figures of daily fuel consumption from 60 million litres.
We are paying subsidy for volume of product that is in dispute. The fuel subsidy economy would not hear of the refineries working. Kyari still spoke about the refineries as a footnote to the proclamation that would sell at N410 at current exchange rates.
The prices of fuel will go beyond N410 with or without subsidy as long as the refineries do not work. The stronger foreign currencies in which these transactions are denominated means that we will pay more.
When refineries do not work for years and their staff are kept, earn salaries, are promoted, and retire with full benefits, the costs seep into the system, we pay for it. We pay for no service. Does Kyari not know these?
From blaming sharing oil theft (all Nigerians are involved) to his threat on new fuel price, Kyari does not know Nigerians have ceased worrying about impediments officials like him have become to a working Nigeria.
Why do the refineries not work? Why does it take eternity to maintain them? Can Kyari tell us?
If after 35 years in NNPC he remains glib about major issues like pricing of fuel, what is his relevance?
Finally...
HOW will you remember President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years? It will be great to hear from you.
INSECURITY has not abated. Our governments remain largely indifferent. The “unauthorised” travel advisory that Ghana issued about Abuja is a sign of how low we have sunk. Ghana’s apology about the “mistake” does not make Nigeria safer.
ARE there plans to avert next year’s flooding? Will we wait to lament again?