Rising fuel prices and insensitivity to the peoples’ plight, by Adekunle Adekoya

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AGAIN, I am still on the matter of rising prices of fuel energy, particularly petrol, which is heading towards N1,500, automotive gas oil, AGO or diesel, which is heading towards N2,000, and cooking gas, which is selling at above N22,000 for a 12.5 kilogramme cylinder. That sold for N3,500 BC, Before Change in 2015.

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It is trite to begin to repeat how the rising prices of these fuels have inflicted a cost of living crisis on all of us. There are very few Nigerians left who are able to save for the rainy day; almost all of us spend everything we earn on food, transportation, and accommodation. As things stand, the more fortunate among us are those with kongi (extremely strong) make-up, who don’t fall sick. It now costs a fortune to treat ordinary malaria or typhoid fever. If you come down with anything more serious than that, you’d probably need crowd-funding to meet healthcare costs.

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As if these are normal, some not so normal people keep defending the deleterious effects of these policies as if they live in outer space where things are cheaper and only fly in to work here. Many of them, particularly government appointees, keep using metrics from saner climes to explain why we should suffocate to death. But we must remind them that they are damned wrong; as the conditions are not the same at all. The only thing common to us and the countries they are fond of referring to is that we also have crude oil. The major difference between us and these countries is what their leaders used their oil wealth to achieve, versus what could not be done here. Let’s take some samplers:

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As at now one litre of fuel in Iran costs the equivalent of N38.

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In Lybya, one litre of fuel sells at the equivalent of N32.

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Saudi Arabia, where both leaders and followers troop to for pilgrimage, one litre sells at the equivalent of N823.

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Comparatively, minimum wage in Iran is the equivalent of N165,000, while in Libya it is about N210,000.

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In Saudi Arabia, minimum wage is the equivalent of N1.4 million.

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We all know how much minimum wage is here, comparatively, a paltry N70,000.

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Let’s take it further: minimumwage in Iran will buy 4,342 litres and in Libya will buy 6,562 litres.

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In Saudi Arabia, the minimum wage will buy 1,700 litres.

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All four countries referred to here, alongside Nigeria are all oil producing nations.

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In the four countries aforementioned, there is no road uncompleted like the East-West Road. Also, they don’t have a road like the Benin By-Pass on which travelers spend three days for a journey that should take no more than six hours.

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In those countries too, their citizens do not suffer electric power outages as we do here; neither do they routinely go abroad for medical treatment. Schools are running, hospitals have drugs and doctors. While they each have issues they are contending with, they have managed successfully to insulate the masses of their people from the deleterious effects of these issues.

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Here, we remain exposed to everything.

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It is worth repeating that despite the damages suffered by Iran as a result of the conflict with US/Israel, life is still predictable for most Iranians. Despite fears of aerial bombings and rocket as well as drone attacks, children are going to school and hospitals continue to function normally.

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Right now, nobody knows who is in charge of Libya since Gaddafi was ousted and killed. But the joke is on Nigeria and her peoples as thousands of Nigerians are working in that country virtually as slaves. Have you heard that the daughter of the woman next door, who has not been seen in the neighborhood for months is now a “shagallah” in Libya, or other Arabian Emirates like Omañ, or Kuwait? Or that many more of our youths are planning to “japa” to these countries to b come shagallah?

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I am not saying all the issues that cumulated to what we are seeing today began with the current administration. No. The issue is that this government campaigned with the Renewed Hope slogan. From day one, May 29, 2023, it was anything but renewed hope. In fact, most Nigerians are currently wallowing in renewed hopelessness. Insecurity has worsened, and the economy is now working in favour of the common man. That is the issue. What we hoped to see since May 29,2023 was redoubled efforts to improve our lot, not what we are going through now, which is the reverse of what we hoped for

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This is what triggered the promise of a section of the political class to return to subsidy if it wins next year’s election.

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Whether that was wise or not is not the issue at the moment; what is clear is that we, the people of Nigeria need lifelines, and now. The Almighty US, with the largest economy in the world, operates 14 different types of subsidies. Why should ours be different?

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Going forward, government and its leaders must stop being insensitive to our plight. In this election season, it is insouciant to continue carrying on as if all is normal. No, sirs; things are not normal with us and the ruling party and it’s cohorts must do everything possible to restore normalcy. No be so? TGIF.

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