Obasanjo: of Puppetry and Deception

By

Ikenna O. Ezenekwe

iezenekwe@hotmail.com

 

 

“Life is one big road with lots of signs so when you're riding through the routes don’t you complicate your mind” Hon. Robert Nesta Marley

 

While obstructive name-calling has taken to the air with careless desertion, the responsible parties have hidden under the pledge of ignorance of the uproar resulting from a yearning to engage in a carnival of half truths allover the press. As a consequence, the chance to direct the effluent energy towards addressing a clear and present danger befalling all Nigerians and the current President Obasanjo regime completely dissipates amidst the entire uproar. The technique of using the tongue to count the number of teeth in one's mouth while contemplating on this issue reveals the case of a flawed vision of the President and the case of a diminishing moral responsibility of FG towards the daily governance of Nigerians – a case many of the President supporters have failed to mention while heaping up the credits of his six-year administration.

 

The case of record breaking oil revenue of which now record at about $19.3 billion for the months of June thru September 2005 combined with the recent debt relief of $18 billion – to any clear minded Nigerian would think the masses would automatically reap of the benefits but the contrary is the case.  Thanks to the President’s vision another fuel price hike is proposed instead. He reasoned that it would prevent fake fuel shortages and that it would save the country a good amount of money because the country can no longer continue to subsidize her refined crude oil import – of which is the direct result of the limited capacity of the existing four refineries in Nigeria.  For this reason, the President has proceeded to put the squeeze a little tighter. How flawed is this logic? To imagine that $6billion of the oil revenue surplus will go to debt repayment first– as part of an accelerated repayment agreement made recently with the boys in the Paris club – before any other programs are considered, is quite indicative of the shaky logic and the grounds which it stands.  The question is why has he has not invested in increasing the capacity of oil refinement in Nigeria instead? Has he not the understanding that it is where the problem lies? Even a simple minded thinker knows this fact.  The President is aware that what is needed is the doubling of oil refinement capacity in Nigeria to above the required threshold limit. Why has he chosen not to do anything about it? Under whose advice would I suppose he is operating on? How heartless would it be for a Nigerian to advice for price increase in fuel at the pump? At this-present economic weather?  

 

There must be external forces at play. The parties behind the silly administrative follies the President has engaged the people of Nigeria are the same folks pulling the string on every move the President has been taking since he got to power. It is no secret the influence they have on Obasanjo administration. His recent invitation to the G8 meeting exposes the case somewhat -he had no business being there. What was he there discussing? Maybe he was discussing the pending fuel price hikes? Or maybe he was discussing not increasing the capacity of oil refined in Nigeria as not to affect the status quo? Or was he there in the capacity of a puppet posturing for instructions? Let it not come as surprise the possible dubious reasons why this President has considered a hike in fuel price as beneficial for Nigerians at this time.  This is following the News that Nigeria is ranked amongst the poorest countries of the world. Of what faculty has the President chosen to contemplate this recent move? It can not have possibly been his. He must be operating off of a play list handed to him.

 

His recent brouhaha to gather up the rouges in government and prosecute them in the name of war on corruption – comes directly out of the mentioned play list. The President has taken the play list to achieve new heights in the art of puppetry. The type that has put him up against commonsense logic and has him too lost in the consoles our power to realize his people are suffering.  He presents confusing argument in attempts to distort the real matter at hand – that a price hike will resolve the issue of fuel shortages? Can you imagine this man? Regardless of his attempts to fog up the issue, it is apparent the people want affordable fuel at the pump. Everyone including all the experts agree improving our refineries is most responsible solution of achieving this goal. In his six years as President, he is yet to do a thing to reverse the thread of constant fuel price increase; instead he has raised it again and again as the price per barrel simultaneously increased. What sort of arithmetic is he using? Better yet, whose arithmetic is he using?  Is it one of puppetry and deception?

 

President Obasanjo’s mirage of a war on corruption has been a clear deception. It is becoming apparent that is isn’t clean himself. His hands are oily too. Everyday is for the thief but one day is for the owner. Elendureports.com is now reporting that crude oil is one of the reasons the relationship between the President and his Vice soiled. According to the report the latest auctioning of Nigeria's oil blocks did not benefit the Vice President and his cronies though the President's men/women were adequately taken care of. The documents obtained raise concerns about the technical expertise and political connections of many of the Nigerian companies eligible to bid. The report continued to list Kema Chikwe, former Aviation Minister and Obasanjo's pal, as the major share holder of the companies that qualified for onshore oil blocks. Other Obasanjo cronies involved in the oil deals are Gov. Peter Odili of Rivers State, Minister of State for Petroleum and shareholder of Platform Oil; Edmond Daukoru; Andy Uba, Presidential Adviser; and, Abdullahi Mohammed, Chief of Staff to the President.

  

So as the President and his team of strategists design their back alley plans to unseat his vice president as they did Ngige and many others and to assure that the way is clear come 2007, it will be of good service to be mindful that the President is not without his own share of terminal flaws that rise well above the level warranting of possible impeachment on moral and legal grounds. He has a lot to explain to the people of

Nigeria. What his intentions with our surplus oil revenue are and what is the real story with him and his cronies are? He must explain!