One of the most plausible reasons for the removal of subsidy on petrol was that the gains were being channeled into private pockets. Accordingly, Nigerians were assured that a number of palliatives have been put in place to douse the pains of the removal.
That New Year’s gift to Nigerians on Jan 1, 2012 fixed the new pump price of a litre of petrol at N141. This was further reduced to the present pump price of N97 per litre after a nation-wide industrial action nearly grounded the economy. The restiveness on the part of organized labour was predicated on the effects of the new pump price on the cost of goods and services in a nation where once prices go up, they hardly come down even after the motivating factor or factors had ceased to exist.
Right now, apart from the epileptic supply of the commodity which impacts on the prices from time to time, petrol is only sold at NNPC Mega Stations at the official pump price of N97 a litre. Independent marketers who dominate the market stagger the pump prices at will to cover alleged financial pains of getting the commodity at NNPC depots. Mainly for the above adduced reason, petrol sells between N120 and N130 a litre while owners of surface tanks and other petty retailers dispose of the product at N145 a litre. In other words, some Nigerians still buy fuel at nearly the pump price of N141 initially fixed by the federal government.
This is not an abnormal practice that could not be rectified. Its resilience is due to the deep-rooted and highly subscribed corruption net-work in the country. This awkward development has adversely affected transport fares particularly workers in the private sector whose well-being does not bother the various levels of government in the country.
Unfortunately, the promised construction of locally mass transit buses in collaboration with local bus manufacturers is still on the shelf. It may be that the government chauffeurs driven decision makers are still sitting on the files at the detriment of the masses.
With this untidy development, it has now dawned on all that the executive action on the subsidy removal was at best putting the horse before the carriage. One then wonders why a government of the people for the people and by the people should be afflicted with occasional bouts of insensitivity.
Understandably, the delay in the implementation was due to the late setting up of the national committee on the Federal Government Mass Transit programme which came on board about two months after the subside removal.
American States-man, Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790, once mused that “laws too gently made are seldom obeyed, too severe, seldom enforced”. Is it this way with Nigerians too?
Letter
Sir,
Nigerian Young Musicians
I am aware that nearly 80 per-cent of the nation’s musicians are young graduates pushed by the harsh economic realities to the frontiers of music. But there is not much to suggest such exposure to tertiary education in their music.
Whenever I listen to the generational music, the monotonous theme sickens me. Always, they exaggerate love, beauty and beautification. I don’t understand why they should glorify, worship and paint sex as the ultimate in life.
These young musicians and their obsession for love and sex are littering indiscipline, way-wardness and criminal tendencies in parts of the country. Henceforth, they should try to reflect the current struggle for existence, societal paradoxes and not women, the Eve of the world yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Muruako Ikenta
Amaifeke, Orlu
Letter
Sir,
Stealing of handsets
The rate and frequency at which mobile phones are being stolen in urban centres tend to suggest criminalizing the offence. There are professional hand-set snatchers who comb every nook and cranny of urban centres daily for mobile phones to snatch or steal.
Government should do something about this since the registration of SIM cards was no deterrent. I suggest that the crime be checked through the enforcement of arduous processes of obtaining new SIM cards. The existing situation where a person walks in and walks out with new SIM cards is promoting the crime. I personally feel that the manufacturers should be contacted to fashion out ways to curb the frequent theft of handsets in Nigeria.
Ndidi Uche
Owerri.
Interview
Corruption Has Acquired Nigerian Citizenship – Durueke
Barr EE Durueke is an Owerri-based legal practitioner who bared his mind on certain topical issues not only as a lawyer but a criminologist. He did his BA in political science and MA in criminal justice administration/criminology in Edinboro University, Pennsylvania, LLB (IMSU and later BL. He also read diploma in history. While in the US, he was a staff of the Department of Corrections, Edinboro University before returning to Nigeria. Excerpts as put together by Robert Mbeyi.
Kidnapping
The word kidnapping is synonymous with abduction and hostage taking. According to Blacks Law Dictionary, 6th Edition, kidnapping means the holding of a person by a person or group of persons against the will of the victim. Simply put, it is a relationship of kite and chick or a zero sum game in which a kidnapper is always the winner while the victim or victims are always the loser.
This is because in the Nigerian context, kidnapping is mostly done for financial benefits as more than 80% of the incidence is induced by ransome taking from the victim or their families.
Since Nigeria is a nation where money is worshipped like God and the economy in a state of doldrums with corruption bestriding the entire society like a colossus, the crime is therefore one that has a very bright future and equally in the fast lane since most of the young persons often unemployed are readily available to the kingpins and financiers.
These groups of persons because of the huge financial gratifications and incentives attached to it will, like most youths in their prime, want to die young and acquire prominent wealth and become beautiful corpses.
The crime apart from being economically induced has to a lesser extent political reasons as one of its motivating factors especially in the Nigerian political environment which is murky with plenty of political job seekers and their God fathers who regard politics as an investment hence they must strive to continually remain relevant as king makers.
In this context, any action to restrain their relevance is necessary and proper. Kidnapping therefore would continue to remain the toast and bride of any investment-minded person with criminal tendencies. No wonder, the crime is not only getting more robust and resilient but is fast becoming an acceptable way of life in Nigerian society. Of course, the various terrorist induced conflicts in the West Africa sub region extending to places like Libya, Sudan and most recently Mali assures the perpetrators constant and unhindered supplies of arms and ammunitions through their financiers who have the wherewithal and means to afford the type of sophisticated guns and ammunitions that are kidnappers’ tools.
These do not exclude the supplies of such weapons internally and unlawfully from many government security agencies, armouries and the locally manufactured ones otherwise known as Awka-Made.
Therefore, these degrees of proliferation of arms into private hands especially during and after electioneering campaigns will in no small measure continue to threaten lives and security in the Nigerian society.
To counter the problem, a holistic and desperate approach have to be initiated for the government to scratch this monster on the surface and finally reduce its incidence in a not too far distant future.
Together with a law enforcement approach, government has to tackle it from, the economic angle by creating job opportunities for the teeming number of school leavers. Various traditional rulers whose communities provide sanctuary for kidnappers should be co-opted in a marshal plan-like security arrangement which must be quickly established in parts of the state.
To strengthen the beautiful security initiative of the present Imo state government like the Imo Security Network, a neighbour to neighbour security arrangement other-wise re-baptized Neighbourhood Security Initiative Organization be introduced at grassroot levels in the autonomous communities purposely to work as information clearing house to expose various suspected kidnappers victims hiding nests and their collaborators.
Since these kidnappers reside in our various communities, their arraignment among other things will effectively complement any already established government efforts more so when it is obvious that there cannot be any kidnapping without an insider collaborating within a community or family.
Government should therefore strengthen and improve the present system of patrol by security agents by mounting aided multi ways radio communication devices to aide and reduce response time to distress calls of either the victims or relations in crisis environment.
Introduction of combing of bushes, forests led by community leaders or traditional rulers as was the case during the Nigerian Civil War years.
Also owners of buildings under construction and unoccupied premises are to be held liable in case such locations are used as kidnappers holding or hiding points.
In this regard, those involved in the Neighbour to Neighbour Security arrangements with the assistance of traditional rulers must be made to undertake sporadic and unannounced raids on these locations to ascertain their contents in terms of habitation and use. Introduction or re-introduction of police and military check-points at strategic locations and roads in various communities should be encouraged especially locations and roads at the fringes of such communities which are roads linking two or more communities as well as to their streams and lonely farm areas.
Interview
Ghost Workers
The issue like any other problem besetting Nigeria has social and economic dimensions compounded by two factors. One is corruption and the other is corruption in a comatose economy. Corruption has acquired Nigerian citizenship. Its hydra-headed nature impacts domino effects on the society.
The civil service is not an exception hence the compounded problem of ghost workers. They are faceless and may be existing as persons whose name though fictitious are reflected in government pay rolls which may be federal, state or local government they get salaries monthly.
A ghost worker may not actually be a ghost as the name connotes, He may be an itinerant existent government worker or a private person unemployed or employed but earns salary monthly either in one or many government establishments. In both cases, corruption is a driving force which is aimed at acquiring values or benefits to the detriment of tax payers.
Simply put, this is a monumental crime of graft in which the citizen is a victim because national resources are being siphoned away fraudulently.
The scam works this way. It is an insider dealing, involving primarily some corrupt minded accounts staff who initiates it ether by over logging the pay roll with fictitious names which may be of his own creation or in active collaboration with personnel department or unit of such ministry.
Often these government officials behind the crime work as a syndicate may be in a net-work system with like minded fellows in other departments or ministries thus rotating these persons from one ministry to another for the commission of this offence and for the sake of financial benefits where such persons exist physically.
To eradicate ghost workers, I recommend the criminalization of the act and the imposition of heavy sanctions on the perpetrators including imprisonment, the establishment of a better identification system involving finger prints data of workers as well as their photographs. The present verification exercise and staff auditing introduced at different levels of government particularly.
Imo State under Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha is highly commendable.
However, for better results, the finger prints data ought to be introduced, Heads of department or ministry the scam is identified should face the consequences for negligence and corruption charges of conniving and conspiracy.
Finally heads and key officers of various accounts department in government departments particularly those in payroll, audit, heads of personnel and administration should be constantly transferred and closely monitored with their social lives and economic investments inclusive.
Taxing Churches
Increasingly, Churches are dominating the Nigerian landscape in a geometric progression. Some attribute it to growth in spirituality, others view it as an unfolding avenue for both employment and money making. Much as I have high reservations for the above options, I strongly suggest that government should besides other things insist that the churches be properly registered and incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC with reputable and known Nigerians as their trustees.
This, among other benefits will check the excesses of some of these churches.
Things that are spiritual require every degree of honesty to ensure that wolves do not appear in sheep skin and take advantage of gullible minded persons in the name of leading them to God. Also from available statistics, most of the churches though established for spiritual rebirth, awakening and purification preach less of salvation and dwell more on miracles, real and imaginary purposely and increasingly lining their pockets with material acquisitions.
But the introduction of these conditions will not only help to weed out the real from the chaff as well as restore sanity, and discipline in various Houses of God which are supposed to be holy and sanctimonious.
This observation does not in any way breach the constitutional provisions for worship or right of association. Rather, it strengthens it by ensuring that the House operating the society’s spiritual cafeteria or dinning halls does not serve unwholesome spiritual diets purposely to the unsuspecting and exploit their increasing number of worshippers and constantly smile their way to the banks with their ill gotten wealth through unchristian life- styles.
No wonder most of their overseers are vast becoming the generational nouve riche living in opulence which is in contradiction to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the holy apostles.
This situation is not entirely bad as long as government harnesses and benefits from it by way of extracting income taxes or similar levies from it just the way other known corporate bodies and private liability companies are taxed.
However, I will not like to be misunderstood either as an unbeliever or an anti Christ element as the article is not intended to strangulate the churches both spiritually or otherwise.
