The saboteur, the crony and their game

A look at recent happenings in the country, from the issue of budget padding, fuel scarcity to poor electricity supply and regulation draws one to conclude that there is a segment of the society hell bent to pull the government of the day to the ground. Similarly, there is another segment that assists the first […]

A look at recent happenings in the country, from the issue of budget padding, fuel scarcity to poor electricity supply and regulation draws one to conclude that there is a segment of the society hell bent to pull the government of the day to the ground. Similarly, there is another segment that assists the first one in achieving this objective. The two segments combined together play a shabby game at the detriment of the people, the country and the government. For instance, look at the recent government’s policy to control importation of cereals such as rice and other commodities that can be produced locally and what arouse out of the ever increasing greed of importers and marketers alike to maximize profit at all cost.
Today, we buy local rice packaged in foreign rice bags at foreign rice price all in the name of profit. Imagine how humanity will derail so low to the extent of mixing say 50,000Kg of foreign rice with 500,000Kg of local rice and the mixture packaged and sold at foreign rice price. This is the game played by commodity dealers against our collective psyche presently.
Similarly, if you look closely into the issue of fuel scarcity bedeviling the country of late, you end up imagining the kind of game fuel marketers in combination with relevant government agencies and officials are up to. For, it is expected that if pricing policy exists, then implementation and compliance should also be enforced. In a normal system, this organ works for the people and the government by ensuring that policies are strictly followed. If an official is found wanting in terms of connivance or compromise, actions are taken in line with laid down rules of engagement. In the present case, we see the antithesis. Today, fuel is sold between 150NGN-190NGN per liter countrywide in the presence of officials of the department of petroleum products pricing regulatory agency (PPPRA).
It appears the PPPRA is so compromised that fuel marketers sell at whatever price without any fear of government action. The crony PPPRA in states has been so compromised that the marketers carry out this act in broad day light today. Fuel supplies meant to check queues in filling stations are used to generate more queues all in the effort to sabotage the government’s drive to ease the suffering of the people. A good example is how it is easy for fuel marketers to collect allocations only for them to end up selling an insignificant proportion of it via a single fuel pump that makes the whole process appears as if queuing for fuel will last forever. The remaining allocation is sold to black marketers or diverted to sister filling stations for sale above the official price.
Most astonishingly, these shabby deals are carried out with knowledge and connivance of the crony PPPRA that is paid to safeguard the fuel pricing policy of the government. At present, the informal marriage between the saboteurs of the present administration and the crony PPPRA creates serious hardship for the people; the same people the President called his constituency. Without doubt, if the President does not seat tight and face these artificial challenges squarely, the challenges will down all efforts to put things right and straight. Our President should understand that soft pedaling will only create more hardships for his constituency. Consequently, it is imperative that methods, techniques and approaches in dealing with saboteurs and their cronies be changed forthwith for the betterment of the people and the country.
At present here in Nigeria, the size of the saboteur group is increasing and so their effect will continue to be felt especially by the weak and the poor who stood up in rain and moody waters to actualize the coming of this administration. If this gradual decay of what the fear of Mr. President initially brought is allowed to stabilize as seen in almost all sectors that witnessed some developments in the first three months of this administration for instance the power sector, because of the action of greedy saboteurs and their conniving cohorts in government, then the change Nigerians yearned for will become illusive. The winner in this uncertain game will definitely be the PDP who by then must have succeeded in proving to the common man that the Buhari he believes so much in is only a mirage. 
To this end, it is imperative that cabinet re-organizations and replacements be carried out to rid the current administration of bad eggs that are used in pulling the same administration down. As a matter of urgency, It is important to checkmate ministries, departments, commissions and parastatals concerned with fuel pricing, electricity pricing and regulation and commodity markets in a manner that will realize the will and the good policies of the current administration.