Jonathan’s action lacks integrity –Senator

The Senator Representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Olu<br />Adetumbi, has berated President Goodluck Jonathan for removing<br />the subsidy on fuel at a time the Senate was still investigating the<br />fraud that characterised the petroleum sector.<br />Adetumbi, who is a leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria in<br />Ekiti State and Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, in a<br />statement in Ado-Ekiti via e-mail on Wednesday, accused the<br />President of preempting the outcome of the investigation of the<br />lawmakers.<br />He said the removal of the subsidy on fuel lacked integrity.<br />Describing the action as callous, he that the President announced<br />the commencement of the policy as the nation nursed pains of<br />the Boko Haram’s terror.<br />The lawmaker added that the President ought to have stayed<br />action on the policy pending the outcome of the Senate<br />investigation.<br />The statement read, “In total disregard to the on-going<br />consultative process of the Senate to dig deep into the fiscal<br />challenges of fuel subsidy to the economy, the FGN has brusquely<br />gone ahead with the removal of petroleum subsidy with effect<br />from January 1, 2012.<br />“With a failed attempt to argue with facts and figures and<br />persuade the country, the president acted peremptorily and<br />made nonsense, the effort of the Senate to get to the bottom of<br />the perennial fraud of subsidy management which the senate<br />committee on petroleum is trying to unearth.<br />He said the sudden removal of subsidy was contrary to earlier<br />affirmations made by the President and the Minister of Finance<br />that the policy was undergoing review and that consultation was<br />ongoing with an indicative date of April 2012 as the likely time of<br />implementation.<br />Adetumbi said, “In a manner totally lacking in honour and<br />integrity that is expected of an elected government, the FG<br />sprung a New Year’s day surprise on a nation already reeling<br />under the brutal onslaught of Boko Haram and a worsening<br />human development indices.<br />“This Senate has been sidelined in this decision and its collective<br />mandate as the representatives of the people thoroughly<br />rubbished.<br />“The constitutional roles of the legislature is gradually being<br />eroded by a President that has the temerity to spend over N800bn<br />on subsidy outside the appropriation act during the yet-to-end<br />2011 budget.”<br />The Senator added, “The NASS and the people have asked<br />questions and request for explanations for this constitutional<br />infraction to which the President was yet to provide any answers.<br />“It will undermine the independence of the Senate and erode the<br />potency of its oversight functions. This invitation is a<br />contemptuous act of impudence aimed at a tactical erosion of the<br />constitutional role of the legislature.”

Jonathan’s action lacks integrity –Senator

The Senator Representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, OluAdetumbi, has berated President Goodluck Jonathan for removingthe subsidy on fuel at a time the Senate was still investigating thefraud tha…

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Jonathan’s government does not care about people — Mbang

The former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria and<br />former Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. Sunday<br />Mbang, has described the government of President Goodluck<br />Jonathan as ‘heartless’ for removing subsidy on petrol.<br />Mbang said the Federal Government showed that it did not care<br />about Nigerians by removing the subsidy when many Nigerians<br />travelled to their home for the Christmas and New Year festivities.<br />He urged Nigerians to protest the subsidy removal peacefully.<br />“I was told a story of one worker in this country who was paid<br />N5,000 to travel to the eastern part of the country and now she is<br />asked to pay N18,000 to come back and that is the minimum<br />wage. When government agreed to pay the N18,000 minimum<br />wage, did they pay it? People had to go on strike again before<br />they started thinking of paying it.<br />“How then do we believe the government?”<br />Mbang added that government ambushed the people by<br />announcing the subsidy removal when discussions were still<br />going on.<br />“They told us they were doing town hall meetings, did they tell us<br />the town hall meetings were going to end on December 31? I<br />listened to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, she said town hall meetings<br />were going on and that at the end of the day they would collate<br />all they get. Have they finished collating? If they have, did they<br />tell us what the result of what they collated is and what they have<br />decided? They just clamped down on the people. They don’t even<br />care about people,” he said.<br />In a related development, the founder, Kingsway International<br />Christian Centre, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, has warned the<br />Federal Government against the removal of subsidy from fuel.<br />He said, “The timing is wrong although subsidy removal is<br />necessary. The poor are hungry and anybody who is down<br />already fears no fall. If the poor people turn against the society,<br />the consequences would be dire.”

Jonathan’s government does not care about people — Mbang

The former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria andformer Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr. SundayMbang, has described the government of President GoodluckJonathan as ‘heart…

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The wrath of a people over their president’s action

Jimohib writes that the<br />anti-fuel subsidy removal protests<br />in the country have pitted President<br />Goodluck Jonathan against the<br />electorate<br />.<br /> Nigerian artistes were among the<br />group of professionals that trooped to the Eagle Square in Abuja<br />when President Goodluck Jonathan was desperately looking for<br />the endorsement of his fellow Nigerians to lead them in March<br />2011.<br />With songs and choreographic displays, the artistes mesmerised<br />the audience with their acts. The audience, among whom were<br />students, labour leaders and their followers, market women and<br />men, joined in singing the praises of the son of a local fisherman<br />from the remote village of Otuoke, Bayelsa State. Dressed in his<br />traditional bowler hat and beaming with smile, Jonathan raised<br />his fist to salute the crowd. He was in high spirit. His wife,<br />Patience, was visibly happier. For them, the presidential election<br />was a foregone conclusion. They were right. Because, with a wide<br />margin, Jonathan, who was the candidate of the Peoples<br />Democratic Party, routed his main challenger for the office, Maj-<br />Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).<br />But eight months after he was elected by the people, the music<br />on the lips of the artistes has changed. The members of the<br />chorus, who were then the electorate, agreed with them. The<br />beat vibrating from the speakers has become distorted. Ironically,<br />it was the same artistes that led the chorus for the election of<br />Jonathan that are now leading the campaign against him. Sure, it<br />is a beat that the President and his men never envisaged. The<br />situation is even more compounded as many Nigerians, who<br />then named their children after Jonathan, are fast changing the<br />name. His name, which was hitherto associated with luck, is<br />being stretched to mean other negative things now.<br />For Nigerians, the past few days have been chaotic. Since the<br />Federal Government, through the Petroleum Products Pricing and<br />Regulatory Agency, announced the removal of subsidy from<br />petrol on January 1, the situation in the country has become like<br />that of the proverbial chicken that perches on the rope. Both of<br />them are not at peace.<br />Signs of what to come started in the early hours of January 2,<br />when anti-subsidy removal protesters marched to the Eagle<br />Square. Led by a former member of the House of Representatives,<br />Mr. Dino Melaye, the protesters were there to collect the<br />signatures of those opposed to the subsidy removal policy.<br />However, the Commander of the Brigade of Guards, Brig.-Gen.<br />Emmanuel Atewe, led officers and soldiers from the Presidential<br />Villa to disperse them. Before the event, soldiers and men of the<br />State Security Service had sealed off the Square. But unknown to<br />them, Melaye and some journalists had already entered the car<br />park to the astonishment of the security men. As soon as those<br />who were to sign the register started trouping to the car park,<br />Atewe, who came in a Hilux van with registration number BG 247<br />BWR, made some calls to some unknown persons. Soon, several<br />soldiers came in a green vehicle with the inscription ‘Brigade of<br />Guards.’<br />While addressing the protesters, Melaye described President<br />Jonathan’s determination to remove subsidy on fuel as wicked.<br />He said, “We open a register to protest the removal of oil subsidy,<br />we believe it is wicked, it is satanic, it is nefarious, barbaric and<br />no amount of intimidation or blackmail will stop us from<br />entering. You can see that the Eagle Square is being barricaded<br />with soldiers, police, SSS as if there is a war. I am sure they have<br />information that I am opening a register to lead the protest and<br />this registration is just for Nigerians to come and register their<br />anger in protest of the removal of subsidy. It won’t stop the<br />mobilisation of people to protest and we are going to protest<br />within the ambit of the law. No amount of intimidation will stop<br />us from fighting this cause. The battle to salvage Nigeria and fight<br />for this removal is a battle of ‘no retreat, no surrender.’ We are<br />ready to sacrifice our lives, we are ready to do anything to make<br />sure that by the special grace of God, Nigerians are defended.<br />When the President promised fresh air, we did not know this is<br />the type of fresh air we are going to breathe in. it is very wicked<br />for the Federal Government even to have done this on the first of<br />January.”<br />At the end of the less than three hours encounter at the square,<br />more than 650 people had signed the book.<br />It was a sign that more trouble was imminent for the<br />government, as the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress<br />and the Trade Union Congress later declared a total strike. Buoyed<br />by the civil society groups and students of Nigerian universities,<br />who have been at home due to the strike embarked by the<br />members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Nigerians<br />marched through major streets across the country, denouncing<br />the Jonathan administration’s policy.<br />In Abuja, commercial and government businesses were<br />paralysed. Though the nation’s capital city witnessed an<br />unusually heavy deployment of armed security personnel as<br />major roads leading to the sprawling Federal Secretariat were<br />strictly monitored by policemen and soldiers, Nigerians were<br />undeterred.<br />From the popular Berger Junction through Wuse Market and AP<br />Plaza Junction, which protesters renamed ‘Freedom Square,’<br />several speeches were delivered to condemn the government’s<br />policy. Peacefully, the protesters unburdened their minds amid<br />tight security. Government and private workers stayed off duty as<br />most offices were closed. In his speech, President, TUC, Peter<br />Esele, said the labour movement would not abandon the Nigerian<br />people and that they would stand up to the challenges of leading<br />them to the Promised Land. On his part, the President, NLC,<br />Abdulwahed Omar, said labour knew that its quest in resisting<br />the removal of subsidy would be tortuous and long, but that<br />adequate planning was made to ensure its sustenance. He<br />condemned the government for having “the thirst of taking from<br />the people the only thing that makes them happy.”<br />The NLC president faulted the government for slashing only 25 per<br />cent of the basic salaries of political office holders, saying, “This<br />cannot be described as a sacrifice as it amounts to nothing<br />compared to the massive suffering that will be visited on the<br />people via the removal of fuel subsidy.” Unlike when Atewe led<br />soldiers from his brigade to disperse the protesters on January 2,<br />the police earned uncommon praise from Nigerians for<br />protecting the protesters in Abuja.<br />While conducting an on-the-spot assessment of the protest at<br />‘Freedom Square,’ Zuokumor described the protest as the<br />legitimate right of the people, but was quick to add that there<br />was the need for decorum. He, however, pleaded with the<br />protesters to use the designated routes for their procession and<br />lauded them for remaining law-abiding.<br />Across the country, Nigerians have been throwing up their anger<br />on their leader. Even the deaths of some of them have not<br />deterred them from expressing their anger. But will the President<br />listen to those that elected him to office?<br />A former Special Assistant to the late Chief MKO Abiola, Olu<br />Akerele, said the electorate deserved to be listened to by the<br />President. He said this would help in cooling down the tension in<br />the country and that it would help in preventing the<br />disintegration of the country during Jonathan’s tenure. He called<br />on the President to listen to the advice given to him by members<br />of the National Assembly, who have all called for the suspension<br />of the implementation of the removal of the subsidy. Akerele said<br />it was apparent that the environment was not yet stable for the<br />subsidy removal and called on the President to revert to N65 per<br />litre and consult more widely on the way forward.<br />But to the PDP, the ongoing protests have been hijacked by the<br />opposition politicians. The party said it was unfortunate that<br />those who failed during the April general elections had found<br />their ways into labour and civil society groups to register their<br />anger against the government of Jonathan. The PDP said the<br />politicians, who it accused of losing at both the polls and courts,<br />had now taken an advantage of the protests by Nigerian workers<br />to incite Nigerians in order to cause political instability in the<br />country.<br />The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prof. Rufai Alkali,<br />who said this in a statement, noted that the comments credited<br />to the unnamed politicians had led to the mass movement of<br />Nigerians from places where they earn their legitimate living to<br />their states of origin. Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Save Nigeria<br />Group has, however, debunked such cl<br />s, saying the PDP was<br />out to cause disaffection among united Nigerians against the<br />government policy.<br />Read 754 times

The wrath of a people over their president’s action

Jimohib writes that theanti-fuel subsidy removal protestsin the country have pitted PresidentGoodluck Jonathan against theelectorate. Nigerian artistes were among thegroup of professionals that troope…

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The real cost of Nigerian petroleum

JANUARY 14, 2012 <br />In December 10, 2011, if you stopped at the Mobil filling station on<br />Old Aba Road in Port Harcourt, you would be able to buy a litre of<br />petrol for N65 or $1.66 per gallon at an exchange rate of $1 to<br />N157 and four litres per gallon. This was the official price.<br />The Federal Government claims that this price was subsidised at<br />N73 per litre and that the true price of one litre in Port Harcourt<br />was N138 or $3.52 per gallon. It means that the government was<br />determined to remove the subsidy on petrol and sell at $3.52 per<br />gallon.<br />But if you had stopped at the Mobil Gas station on E83rd St and<br />Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, USA, you would be able<br />to buy a gallon of petrol for $3.52. Both gallons of petrol would<br />have been refined from Nigerian crude oil. The only difference<br />would be that the gallon sold in New York was refined in a US<br />North East refinery from crude oil exported from the Qua Iboe<br />Crude Terminal in Nigeria, while the Port Harcourt fuel was either<br />refined in that city or imported.<br />The idea that a gallon of petrol from Nigerian crude oil cost the<br />same in New York as in Port Harcourt runs against basic economic<br />logic. Hence, Nigerians suspect that there is something irrational<br />and fishy about such pricing. What they would like to know is the<br />exact cost of a litre of petrol in Nigeria.<br />We will answer this question in four the simplest economic<br />terms, despite the government’s attempts to muddle up the<br />issue. What is the true cost of a litre of petrol in Nigeria?<br />The Federal Government has earmarked 445,000 barrels per day<br />for meeting domestic refinery products demands. This is not for<br />export. It is public goods reserved for internal consumption. We<br />will limit our analysis to this volume of crude oil. At the gate of<br />the Port Harcourt refinery, the cost of a barrel of Qua Iboe crude<br />oil is made up of the finding cum development cost ($3.5) and a<br />production/storage transportation cost of $1.50 per barrel.<br />Thus, at $5 per barrel, we can get Qua Iboe crude oil to the<br />refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri. One barrel is 42 gallons or<br />168 litres. The price of a barrel of petrol at the depot is the total<br />sum of the cost of crude oil, the refining cost, and the pipeline<br />transportation cost. Refining costs are fixed at $12.6 per barrel<br />and pipeline distribution costs at $1.50 per barrel.<br />The Distribution Margins (Retailers, Transporters, Dealers,<br />Bridging Funds, Administrative charges etc) are N15.49 per litre or<br />$16.58 per barrel. The true cost of one litre of petrol at the Mobil<br />petrol filling station in Port Harcourt, or anywhere else in Nigeria,<br />is therefore $5 +$12.6+$1.5+$16.6 or $35.7 per barrel. This is equal<br />to N33.36 per litre, compared to the official price of N65 per litre.<br />Prof. Tam David West is right. There is no petrol subsidy in<br />Nigeria. Rather, the current official prices are too high. Let us<br />continue with some basic energy economics.<br />The government claims we are currently operating our refineries<br />at 38.2 per cent efficiency. When we refine a barrel of crude oil,<br />we get more than just petrol. If we refine one barrel (42 gallons)<br />of crude oil, we will get 45 gallons of petroleum products. The 45<br />gallons of petroleum products consist of four gallons of LPG, 19.5<br />gallons of gasoline, 10 gallons of diesel fuel, four gallons of<br />aviation fuel, two-and-half gallons of fuel oil and five gallons of<br />bottoms. Thus, at 38.2 per cent of refining capacity, we have<br />about 170,000 bbls of throughput refined for about 13.26 million<br />litres of petrol, 6.8 million litres of diesel and 2.72 million litres of<br />kerosene/aviation fuel.<br />This is not enough to meet internal national demand. So, we send<br />the remaining of our non-export crude oil volume, which is<br />275,000 barrels per day, to be refined abroad and import the<br />petroleum product back into the country. We will just pay for<br />shipping and refining.<br />The government exchanges the 275,000 barrels per day with<br />commodity traders, about 90,000 barrels per day, to Duke Oil;<br />60000 barrels per day to Trafigura, 60,000 barrels per day to<br />Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and 65,000<br />barrels per day to unknown sources in a swap deal.<br />The landing cost of a litre of petrol is N123.32 and the distribution<br />margins are N15.49 according to the government. The cost of a<br />litre is therefore N138.81. This is equivalent to $3.54 per gallon or<br />$148.54 per barrel. In technical terms, one barrel of Nigerian<br />crude oil has a volume yield of seven per cent of AGO, 20.7 per<br />cent of petrol, 10 per cent of aviation fuel, 30.6 per cent of diesel,<br />32.6 per cent of per cent when it is refined.<br />Using a netback calculation method, we can easily calculate the<br />true cost of a litre of imported petrol from swapped oil. The gross<br />product revenue of a refined barrel of crude oil is the sum of the<br />volume of each refined product multiplied by its price.<br />Domestic prices are $174.48 per barrel for AGO, $69.5 per barrel<br />for petrol, $172.22 per barrel for diesel oil, $53.5 per barrel for<br />kerosene and $129.68 per barrel for petrol. Let us substitute the<br />government imported PMS price of $148.54 per barrel for the<br />domestic price of petrol. Our gross product revenue per swapped<br />barrel would be summed up as $142.32 per barrel. We have to<br />remove the international cost of a barrel of crude oil, which is<br />$107 per barrel, from this to get the net cost of imported swapped<br />petroleum products to Nigerian consumers. The net cost of<br />swapped petroleum products would therefore be $142.32 minus<br />$107 or $35.32 per barrel of swapped crude oil. This comes out to<br />be a net of $36.86 per barrel of petrol or N34.45 per litre.<br />This is the true cost of a litre of imported swapped petrol and not<br />the landing cost of N138 per litre claimed by the government. The<br />anti-subsidy Nigerian government pretends the price of swapped<br />crude oil is $0 per barrel, while the resulting petroleum product is<br />$148.54 per barrel or N138 per litre.<br />The government therefore argues that the ‘subsidy’ is N138.81<br />minus N65 or N73.81 per litre. But if the landing cost of the<br />petroleum products is at the international price of $148.54 per<br />barrel, then the take-off price of the swapped crude oil should be<br />at $107 per barrel. This is basic economic logic outside the<br />ideological prisms of the World Bank. The petroleum products<br />importers and the government are charging Nigerians for the<br />crude oil, while they are getting it free.<br />If the true price of 38.2 per cent of our petrol supply from our local<br />refinery is N33.36 per litre and the remaining 61.8 per cent has a<br />true price of N34.45 per litre, then the average true price is N34.03<br />per litre. The official price is N65 per litre and the true price with<br />government figures is about N34 per litre, even with our<br />moribund refineries.<br />There is therefore no petrol subsidy. Rather, there is a high sales<br />tax of 91.2 per cent at current prices of N65 per litre.<br />There are many expert economists and political scientists in the<br />Academic Staff Une<br />Nigerian domestic market.<br />They should not just embark on three days strike, after which the<br />government reduces the hiked petroleum prices by a margin.<br />They must embark upon in a sustainable struggle that will lead to<br />fundamental changes.

The real cost of Nigerian petroleum

JANUARY 14, 2012 In December 10, 2011, if you stopped at the Mobil filling station onOld Aba Road in Port Harcourt, you would be able to buy a litre ofpetrol for N65 or $1.66 per gallon at an exchange…

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‘Revert to N65 or protests continues'

Members of civil society<br />organisation, professional<br />bodies and other Nigerians<br />under the aegis of Occupy<br />Nigeria, on Friday threatened<br />to continue with the street<br />protests on Monday should<br />the government remain<br />adamant.<br />The Petroleum and Natural<br />Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on Wednesday also<br />indicated its resolve to join in the strike if by Sunday evening the<br />government had not changed the price of petrol from N141 to<br />N65 per litre.<br />The Convener, Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said at<br />the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park on Friday that the Saturday<br />and Sunday break was to allow Nigerians the time to get<br />whatever was essential to helping them continue with the<br />struggle on Monday.<br />He said it would afford the government time to meet with the<br />representatives of labour and Nigerians and revert to the N65.<br />He said, “We hear that the Federal Government is saying between<br />N90 and N120 but we say no. We are resolved to continue this<br />pursuit until our demands are met. We want to state categorically<br />that it is N65 or nothing. On N65 we stand. We are not out for a<br />compromise. We will be closing early today to allow our Muslim<br />brothers to observe the juma’at prayers.<br />“There will not be protest on Saturday and Sunday, so we are<br />giving them the benefit of 48 hours to decide on what to do. If by<br />then there is no change, we will not only occupy Lagos, but Abuja<br />and all other parts of the country.”<br />He asked labour to accurately convene the voice of Nigerians to<br />the government and be wary of reaching any compromise that<br />would not represent the wishes of the Nigerian people.<br />A lawyer and leader of the Occupy Nigeria Group, Femi Falana,<br />however, said that he spoke with the labour leaders after the<br />meeting on Thursday and they had assured him that they won’t<br />be compromised.

‘Revert to N65 or protests continues'

Members of civil societyorganisation, professionalbodies and other Nigeriansunder the aegis of OccupyNigeria, on Friday threatenedto continue with the streetprotests on Monday shouldthe government rem…

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igeria sect leader defends killings inideo

ABUJA (Reuters) - The leader of<br />Nigerian Islamist sect Boko<br />Haram said recent killings of<br />Christians were justifiable<br />revenge attacks and President<br />Goodluck Jonathan had no<br />power to stop the group's<br />insurgency, in the first video of him posted online.<br />The 15 minute video of Abubakar Shekau posted on<br />YouTube is similar in style to messages submitted by<br />other Islamist groups like al Qaeda, a sign of the<br />growing influence other jihadist movements are<br />having on the sect.<br />Boko Haram, whose name translates from the<br />northern Hausa language as "Western education is<br />sinful", has been behind almost daily killings in its<br />home base in the largely Muslim northeast, most<br />recently targeting Christians.<br />"Christians, everyone knows what they have done to<br />us and Muslims ... we were attacked and we decided<br />to defend ourselves and, because we were on the<br />right path, Allah has made us stronger," Shekau says<br />in Hausa, sat in front of two Kalashnikov rifles and<br />wearing a camouflage bullet proof jacket.<br />"Jonathan, (you) know full well that this thing is<br />beyond your powers," he added, referring to the<br />president.<br />Shekau is understood to have taken over control of<br />Boko Haram, which wants sharia law more widely<br />applied across Africa's most populous nation, after<br />the sect's founder Mohammed Yusuf was killed in<br />police custody in 2009 following an uprising in which<br />700 people were killed.<br />"Everyone knows how our leader was murdered and<br />everyone knows the way the Muslims were killed,"<br />Shekau says, remaining stony faced and calm<br />throughout.<br />"Catastrophe is caused by unbelief, unrest is unbelief,<br />injustice is unbelief, democracy is unbelief and the<br />constitution is unbelief." Continued...

igeria sect leader defends killings inideo

ABUJA (Reuters) - The leader ofNigerian Islamist sect BokoHaram said recent killings ofChristians were justifiablerevenge attacks and PresidentGoodluck Jonathan had nopower to stop the group'sinsurgen…

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NACCIMA advocates phased subsidy removal

By FRANKLIN ALLI<br />The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry,<br />Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has called on the Federal<br />Government to douse the raging fuel subsidy removal protests<br />across the country by adopting phased subsidy removal.<br />In a position statement, forwarded to the Presidency and made<br />available to journalists in Lagos, NACCIMA said: “We agree with<br />the Federal Government that fuel subsidy removal is inevitable<br />with deregulation of the downstream sub-sector of the<br />petroleum industry.<br />“However, we are convinced that the timing of this removal is<br />wrong and did not address the immediate effect on the citizens<br />and business and may not achieve the desired result.<br />“We, therefore, counsel as follows “Government should diligently<br />re-consider the adoption of phased subsidy removal that relates<br />closely with available local production<br />“The existing four refineries should be maintained to become<br />fully functional within six (6) months, and thereafter made ready<br />for privatisation under the Chairmanship of Mr. Vice President.<br />“Government should consider and revise its decision for an<br />agreed period to enable the Belgore Committee to determine<br />the true cost of the subsidy by first removing/extracting alleged<br />corruption element<br />“The Government should urgently push for the speedy passage<br />of the Petroleum Industry Bill, which has the capacity to<br />generate more than US$5 billion in savings for the country<br />annually. “All private operators previously granted licenses for<br />refineries should be required to be re-invited to partner with<br />Government and be assured of the supply of feed-stock of crude<br />oil; the refusal of which NACCIMA understands aborted their<br />intervention<br />*The importation and distribution of petroleum products should<br />be considered sensitive enough to be made transparent at this<br />early stage.”<br />“However, the true subsidy must first be determined before<br />commencement of a phased removal, preferably after existing<br />and new private refineries are enabled and assisted to meet<br />nation’s demand. To avoid worsening corruption, inefficiency,<br />leakages and waste associated with public utilities, Government<br />should resist the temptation to build and operate new refineries,<br />while existing ones should be privatised.<br />If Government had been more advisedly patient and allow for<br />on-going apparently meaningful and effective consultations to<br />be concluded, in addition to the awaited National Assembly<br />conclusion, it would have been much easier to douse tensions,<br />even as we accept the saying that “If a Leader would wait for<br />everyone to changes, nothing would ever be accomplished.”

NACCIMA advocates phased subsidy removal

By FRANKLIN ALLIThe Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry,Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has called on the FederalGovernment to douse the raging fuel subsidy removal protestsacross …

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Nigerians defy order to end strikeThursday, January 12, 2012Agence France-PresseA man demonstrates at Gani Fawehinmi Park in LagosWednesday in the third day of a nationwide strike protestingagainst President Goodluck Jonathan's government for scrappinghis country's oil subsidy.Photographed by:Pius Utomi Ekpei, AFP, Getty Images, Agence France-PresseTens of thousands of Nigerians defied an order to end a three-day-old strike Wednesday as unions threatened to halt output inAfrica's top crude producer and a mob rampage left a policeofficer dead.The strike over soaring fuel prices sank the continentalheavyweight deeper into crisis, with deadly religious violencethat saw four Christians gunned down on Wednesday, sparkingwarnings of a looming civil war.The tensions have left the global oil market watching anxiouslyand President Goodluck Jonathan facing his toughest challengesince he was elected last year.Despite a government order late Tuesday that labelled the strikeillegal and threatened to withhold pay, protesters took to thestreets as gangs of youths burnt tires and harassed drivers forcash.Pockets of Lagos, the largest city in Africa's most populous nation,descended into chaos, including one upscale neighbourhood,with gangs attacking a police car with sticks and ripping downsignposts.The main groups of protesters in Lagos however remainedpeaceful, with about 10,000 people at one of the largestdemonstrations dancing and singing anti-government songs.Some vowed they would begin camping out there."I am here with my water and toothbrush because we are notleaving this arena until our demand for fuel at 65 naira (40 cents)is met," said Akinola Oyebode, a 23-year-old at the main protestin Lagos.He was referring to the price of a litre of gas before governmentsubsidies were controversially scrapped from Jan. 1."We shall not be intimidated by the police because our protest islegitimate and constitutional."In the central city of Minna, a mob went on the rampage, burningpolitical offices, leaving a police officer dead and prompting anall-day curfew. The cause of the violence was not immediatelyclear.In Kano, the largest city in the north, a massive crowd estimatedin the tens of thousands marched through the streets.Protesters and police had clashed in Kano on Monday, leaving atleast two people shot dead, but no incidents were reported onWednesday.Oil production has so far not been affected by the strike, butworkers threatened action if the government does not respond totheir demands."We hereby direct all production platforms to be on red alert inpreparation for total production shutdown," PENGASSAN unionpresident Babatunde Ogun said in a statement as union officialsmet in the oil hub of Port Harcourt.The other oil workers' union, NUPENG, also threatened ashutdown.Tens of thousands have turned out this week for protestsnationwide over the government's move to end fuel subsidies,which caused gasoline prices to more than double in a countrywhere most people live on less than $2 per day.At least six people were killed on the first day of protests,including one person allegedly shot by police in Lagos.Local media reported that three others were killed insouthwestern Ogun and Osun states on Tuesday, one by a policeofficer, but authorities have not confirmed the deaths.Meanwhile, spiralling ethnic and religious violence in variousparts of the country has fuelled further chaos amid warnings of awider conflict in a country roughly divided between a mainlyMuslim north and predominantly Christian south.Twenty people were killed in four separate incidents in the latestsuch violence.The attacks included the shooting dead of four Christian Igbos onWednesday by suspected members of Islamist group Boko Haramon the outskirts of the northeastern city of Potiskum, according toresidents.Yobe state, where Potiskum is located and which has been hit byrepeated violence, also declared a night curfew.Separately, a police station in the northeastern city of Yola wasattacked by unknown gunmen on Wednesday, killing one officer,police said.Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of attacks, and in recentweeks has claimed responsibility for violence targeting Christians,who have vowed to defend themselves.A video has emerged on YouTube purporting to show suspectedBoko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau sending a message to thepresident, but the person in the clip appears significantly differentfrom previous images said to be of Shekau.

Thursday, January 12, 2012<br />Agence France-Presse<br />A man demonstrates at Gani Fawehinmi Park in Lagos<br />Wednesday in the third day of a nationwide strike protesting<br />against President Goodluck Jonathan's government for scrapping<br />his country's oil subsidy.<br />Photographed by:<br />Pius Utomi Ekpei, AFP, Getty Images, Agence France-Presse<br />Tens of thousands of Nigerians defied an order to end a three-<br />day-old strike Wednesday as unions threatened to halt output in<br />Africa's top crude producer and a mob rampage left a police<br />officer dead.<br />The strike over soaring fuel prices sank the continental<br />heavyweight deeper into crisis, with deadly religious violence<br />that saw four Christians gunned down on Wednesday, sparking<br />warnings of a looming civil war.<br />The tensions have left the global oil market watching anxiously<br />and President Goodluck Jonathan facing his toughest challenge<br />since he was elected last year.<br />Despite a government order late Tuesday that labelled the strike<br />illegal and threatened to withhold pay, protesters took to the<br />streets as gangs of youths burnt tires and harassed drivers for<br />cash.<br />Pockets of Lagos, the largest city in Africa's most populous nation,<br />descended into chaos, including one upscale neighbourhood,<br />with gangs attacking a police car with sticks and ripping down<br />signposts.<br />The main groups of protesters in Lagos however remained<br />peaceful, with about 10,000 people at one of the largest<br />demonstrations dancing and singing anti-government songs.<br />Some vowed they would begin camping out there.<br />"I am here with my water and toothbrush because we are not<br />leaving this arena until our demand for fuel at 65 naira (40 cents)<br />is met," said Akinola Oyebode, a 23-year-old at the main protest<br />in Lagos.<br />He was referring to the price of a litre of gas before government<br />subsidies were controversially scrapped from Jan. 1.<br />"We shall not be intimidated by the police because our protest is<br />legitimate and constitutional."<br />In the central city of Minna, a mob went on the rampage, burning<br />political offices, leaving a police officer dead and prompting an<br />all-day curfew. The cause of the violence was not immediately<br />clear.<br />In Kano, the largest city in the north, a massive crowd estimated<br />in the tens of thousands marched through the streets.<br />Protesters and police had clashed in Kano on Monday, leaving at<br />least two people shot dead, but no incidents were reported on<br />Wednesday.<br />Oil production has so far not been affected by the strike, but<br />workers threatened action if the government does not respond to<br />their demands.<br />"We hereby direct all production platforms to be on red alert in<br />preparation for total production shutdown," PENGASSAN union<br />president Babatunde Ogun said in a statement as union officials<br />met in the oil hub of Port Harcourt.<br />The other oil workers' union, NUPENG, also threatened a<br />shutdown.<br />Tens of thousands have turned out this week for protests<br />nationwide over the government's move to end fuel subsidies,<br />which caused gasoline prices to more than double in a country<br />where most people live on less than $2 per day.<br />At least six people were killed on the first day of protests,<br />including one person allegedly shot by police in Lagos.<br />Local media reported that three others were killed in<br />southwestern Ogun and Osun states on Tuesday, one by a police<br />officer, but authorities have not confirmed the deaths.<br />Meanwhile, spiralling ethnic and religious violence in various<br />parts of the country has fuelled further chaos amid warnings of a<br />wider conflict in a country roughly divided between a mainly<br />Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.<br />Twenty people were killed in four separate incidents in the latest<br />such violence.<br />The attacks included the shooting dead of four Christian Igbos on<br />Wednesday by suspected members of Islamist group Boko Haram<br />on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Potiskum, according to<br />residents.<br />Yobe state, where Potiskum is located and which has been hit by<br />repeated violence, also declared a night curfew.<br />Separately, a police station in the northeastern city of Yola was<br />attacked by unknown gunmen on Wednesday, killing one officer,<br />police said.<br />Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of attacks, and in recent<br />weeks has claimed responsibility for violence targeting Christians,<br />who have vowed to defend themselves.<br />A video has emerged on YouTube purporting to show suspected<br />Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau sending a message to the<br />president, but the person in the clip appears significantly different<br />from previous images said to be of Shekau.

Nigerians defy order to end strikeThursday, January 12, 2012Agence France-PresseA man demonstrates at Gani Fawehinmi Park in LagosWednesday in the third day of a nationwide strike protestingagainst President Goodluck Jonathan's government for scrappinghis country's oil subsidy.Photographed by:Pius Utomi Ekpei, AFP, Getty Images, Agence France-PresseTens of thousands of Nigerians defied an order to end a three-day-old strike Wednesday as unions threatened to halt output inAfrica's top crude producer and a mob rampage left a policeofficer dead.The strike over soaring fuel prices sank the continentalheavyweight deeper into crisis, with deadly religious violencethat saw four Christians gunned down on Wednesday, sparkingwarnings of a looming civil war.The tensions have left the global oil market watching anxiouslyand President Goodluck Jonathan facing his toughest challengesince he was elected last year.Despite a government order late Tuesday that labelled the strikeillegal and threatened to withhold pay, protesters took to thestreets as gangs of youths burnt tires and harassed drivers forcash.Pockets of Lagos, the largest city in Africa's most populous nation,descended into chaos, including one upscale neighbourhood,with gangs attacking a police car with sticks and ripping downsignposts.The main groups of protesters in Lagos however remainedpeaceful, with about 10,000 people at one of the largestdemonstrations dancing and singing anti-government songs.Some vowed they would begin camping out there."I am here with my water and toothbrush because we are notleaving this arena until our demand for fuel at 65 naira (40 cents)is met," said Akinola Oyebode, a 23-year-old at the main protestin Lagos.He was referring to the price of a litre of gas before governmentsubsidies were controversially scrapped from Jan. 1."We shall not be intimidated by the police because our protest islegitimate and constitutional."In the central city of Minna, a mob went on the rampage, burningpolitical offices, leaving a police officer dead and prompting anall-day curfew. The cause of the violence was not immediatelyclear.In Kano, the largest city in the north, a massive crowd estimatedin the tens of thousands marched through the streets.Protesters and police had clashed in Kano on Monday, leaving atleast two people shot dead, but no incidents were reported onWednesday.Oil production has so far not been affected by the strike, butworkers threatened action if the government does not respond totheir demands."We hereby direct all production platforms to be on red alert inpreparation for total production shutdown," PENGASSAN unionpresident Babatunde Ogun said in a statement as union officialsmet in the oil hub of Port Harcourt.The other oil workers' union, NUPENG, also threatened ashutdown.Tens of thousands have turned out this week for protestsnationwide over the government's move to end fuel subsidies,which caused gasoline prices to more than double in a countrywhere most people live on less than $2 per day.At least six people were killed on the first day of protests,including one person allegedly shot by police in Lagos.Local media reported that three others were killed insouthwestern Ogun and Osun states on Tuesday, one by a policeofficer, but authorities have not confirmed the deaths.Meanwhile, spiralling ethnic and religious violence in variousparts of the country has fuelled further chaos amid warnings of awider conflict in a country roughly divided between a mainlyMuslim north and predominantly Christian south.Twenty people were killed in four separate incidents in the latestsuch violence.The attacks included the shooting dead of four Christian Igbos onWednesday by suspected members of Islamist group Boko Haramon the outskirts of the northeastern city of Potiskum, according toresidents.Yobe state, where Potiskum is located and which has been hit byrepeated violence, also declared a night curfew.Separately, a police station in the northeastern city of Yola wasattacked by unknown gunmen on Wednesday, killing one officer,police said.Boko Haram has been blamed for scores of attacks, and in recentweeks has claimed responsibility for violence targeting Christians,who have vowed to defend themselves.A video has emerged on YouTube purporting to show suspectedBoko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau sending a message to thepresident, but the person in the clip appears significantly differentfrom previous images said to be of Shekau.

Thursday, January 12, 2012Agence France-PresseA man demonstrates at Gani Fawehinmi Park in LagosWednesday in the third day of a nationwide strike protestingagainst President Goodluck Jonathan's govern…

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