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| President Buhari jetting out of the country recenlty |
This is surely not the best of time for Nigerians who had
expected a positive change to the quality of their lives after almost a year
they voted out the ‘squandermanian’ government of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP.
The long queues at fuel stations, which were a major
hallmark of the PDP government, especially that of the ‘shoeless’ President
Goodluck Jonathan, have resurfaced and may not ease off anytime soon.
Similarly, the power blackout currently being experienced
across the country is quite worrisome, particularly coming just after the
celebration of the attainment of 5,700 megawatts power generation, the feat,
unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. Also more worrisome are the attendant
affects of lack of fuel, leading to the prices of goods and services hitting
the roofs with Nigerians, particularly, the masses feeling the pangs more.
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| Fuel queue in Abuja |
It beats ones imagination that Nigeria, despite being one of the world's biggest oil producers, still imports most of its fuel and is currently facing a severe shortage. However, efforts by the government to reduce importation and boost local production through the country’s refineries appear to be under serious sabotage. There have been reports of insiders in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation NNPC conniving with vandals to destroy oil pipelines!
Under the excuse of foreign exchange scarcity, the
International Oil Companies (IOCs) since November, 2015 have been reducing
importation of fuel into the country thereby aiding to the current acute
shortage of the product. The NNPC’s import quota of about 50% expectedly could
not meet the daily needs of the populace.
Another angle to the current situation, as observed by
analysts, is the government’s tactical withdrawal of subsidy payment. In
January, the government ended official fuel subsides with the argument that the
cost of oil had fallen so much that the subsidies were no longer required.
There have also been reports of coordinated moves by unscrupulous elements in the region where the nation’s oil and gas facilities are domiciled to frustrate gas transmission to power plants, hence the current acute electricity shortage across the country. Recently, power generation fell to zero megawatts due to the activities of the vandals, leading to the shut down of about twelve of the country’s power plants.
Subsequently, many Nigerians are becoming impatient with the
APC government as they queried whether the change promised during the campaigns
is gradually not turning turning to a mirage.
Some have even attributed the problems to the President
Buhari frequent trips abroad, believing that his stay at home would have
addressed the problems. Nevertheless, his party has stoutly defended the trips
as being in the interest of the country in the long run.
But some observers have reasoned that the above scenarios
could be a grand plot by certain interests, both local and foreign, to
frustrate the government and turn the people against it. They are quick to make
reference to how the first freely elected democratic president of Egypt,
Mohammad Morsi was ousted from power by the country’s powerful military with
the backing of the US and other European and Asian nations.
The Egypt-Morsi
scenario
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| Ousted President Morsi of Egypt |
The one year of President Morsi’s government witnessed
unprecedented sabotage by the powers-that-be in the country. All his reform efforts
were frustrated and never got adequate media coverage. Rather, only the
perceived negatives were parroted by both local and international media. The
unfair media reportage and clandestine divisive activities of the Mubarak
ex-men culminated in the ousting of Morsi in June 2013.
Immediately after the infamous coup, the streets seethe with
anti-Morsi protests became empty suddenly! Long queues at gas stations
disappeared, power cuts stopped and the police, who had withdrawn their
services despite several appeals from the president, returned to the street
willingly.
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| Anti-Morsi protest in Egypt |
The apparently miraculous end to the crippling energy
shortages, and the re-emergence of the police, seems to show that the legions
of personnel left in place after former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in
2011 played a significant role, intentionally or not, in undermining the
overall quality of life under the administration of President Morsi.
Morsi’s supporters expectedly concluded that the sudden
turnaround proves that their opponents conspired to make his government fail.
Not only did police officers seem to disappear, but the state agencies
responsible for providing electricity and ensuring gas supplies failed so
fundamentally that gas lines and rolling blackouts fed widespread anger and
frustration.
Naser el-Farash, who served as the spokesman for the
Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade under President Morsi, said: “Different
circles in the state, from the storage facilities to the cars that transport
petrol products to the gas stations, all participated in creating the crisis.”
Working behind the scenes, members of the old establishment, some of them close to Mr. Mubarak and the country’s top generals, also helped finance, advise and organize those determined to topple the Islamist leadership, including Naguib Sawiris, a billionaire and an outspoken foe of the Brotherhood; Tahani el-Gebali, a former judge on the Supreme Constitutional Court who is close to the ruling generals; and Shawki al-Sayed, a legal adviser to Ahmed Shafik, Mr. Mubarak’s last prime minister, who lost the presidential race to Mr. Morsi,” Ben Hubbard and David D. Kirkpatrick wrote in the New York Times July 10, 2013.
They went further that, “When Mr. Mubarak was removed after
nearly 30 years in office in 2011, the bureaucracy he built stayed largely in
place. Many business leaders, also a pillar of the old government, retained
their wealth and influence.
“Despite coming to power through the freest elections in
Egyptian history, Mr. Morsi was unable to extend his authority over the sprawling
state apparatus, and his allies complained that what they called the “deep
state” was undermining their efforts at governing.
“
Mr. Sawiris, one of Egypt’s richest men and a titan of the old establishment, said Wednesday that he had supported an upstart group called “tamarrod,” Arabic for “rebellion,” that led a petition drive seeking Mr. Morsi’s ouster. He donated use of the nationwide offices and infrastructure of the political party he built, the Free Egyptians. He provided publicity through a popular television network he founded and his major interest in Egypt’s largest private newspaper. He even commissioned the production of a popular music video that played heavily on the network.
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| Naguib |
“Tamarrod did not even know it was me!” he said. “I am not ashamed
of it.”
“He said he had publicly predicted that ousting Mr. Morsi
would bolster Egypt’s sputtering economy because it would bring in billions of
dollars in aid from oil-rich monarchies afraid that the Islamist movement might
spread to their shores. By Wednesday, a total of $12 billion had flowed in from
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. “That will take us for 12
months with no problem,” Mr. Sawiris said.
“Mr. Farash, the trade ministry spokesman under Mr. Morsi,
attributed the fuel shortages to black marketers linked to Mr. Mubarak, who
diverted shipments of state-subsidized fuel to sell for a profit abroad.
Corrupt officials torpedoed Mr. Morsi’s introduction of a smart card system to
track fuel shipments by refusing to use the devices, he said.
“But not everyone agreed with that interpretation, as
supporters of the interim government said the improvements in recent days were
a reflection of Mr. Morsi’s incompetence, not a conspiracy.”
Although the conspiracy angle to Mr Morsi’s fall in Egypt
had been disputed, all signs pointed towards the ‘truness’ of the conspiracy!
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| Elbaradai |
Whether correct or not, our own president Buhari must learn
from the circumstances that led to the fall of Morsi. He should not assume that
majority of Nigerians are behind him and because of that become insensitive to
the possibility of the fifth columnists upstaging his government. PMB should
also be wary of international support and accolades his government has garnered
in the almost one year in power, because such support and accolades were also
accorded Mr Morsi by the US and the Gulf monarchs who later connived with
saboteurs within Egypt to sweep him out of power.
The saboteurs do not need to be confrontational. They only need to orchestrate a process that will make the masses turn against the government, and then the aggrieved elites, whose source of livelihood has been badly affected by the anti-corruption war will naturally capitalise on the anger of the masses to bring down the government.
Already, a group, #OccupyNigeria, which never occupied even
Abuja during the locust years of the PDP, is calling on Nigerians for mass
protest against the gruelling fuel crisis and acute power shortage in the
country.
Naguib Sawiris, the Elbaradai and co, planned, funded and
executed the ‘popular’ uprising that brought down Morsi’s government. PMB
should not sleep as Sawiris and Baradais in Nigeria could also be executing
their plans as well.
It is important for the presidency to quickly identify these
negative but devilish forces and deal with them decisively to avoid a repeat of
1984 tragedy when the fifth columnists had a field day.
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| Bola Tinubu |
The massively organised and highly respected APC team should
also wake up from their slumber and deploy the same dreaded tactics of the
campaign era, not only to counter such debilitating moves but also rise up to
tell their stories, just as some are beginning to ask: 'where are the Lai
Muhammeds and Bola Tinubus and Dino Melayes of the campaign era?'.
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| Lai Mohammed |
Mr President, please, watch your back!!!
