By Victor Emejuiwe
Every Nigerian is feeling the heat of the removal of the subsidy on premium motor spirit, otherwise called petrol, from the low-income earners to the middle-income earners. This is evident from the fewer cars that ply the once ever busy roads of Lagos and Abuja. The inability of most car users to drive their cars on a regular basis depicts so much deprivation of comfort and sacrifice demanded of Nigerians by the Federal Government. Those who could not afford to drive their cars and those who had been used to commuting by public transport, they are also experiencing great hardship occasioned by the increased cost of public transportation. This hardship cuts across major cities in Nigeria, especially the cities of Abuja and Lagos. Salary earners can no longer save from their income as a result of the increased cost of living. Most workers spend a great deal of their salary on feeding, and transportation. Many are unable to afford decent accommodation and pay the exorbitant school fees of their wards. In essence, the masses are already making so much sacrifice without the ruling class doing the same.
Recall that the Federal government announced measures to relieve Nigerians of the pains of subsidy removal. One of the promises of the federal government was to pay the federal civil servants a monthly wage award of thirty-five thousand naira only. The amount was to take effect from September 2023. Unfortunately, reports have shown that the federal government made the payment only once in September, thereby owing the workers October and November wage award. Workers have also expressed doubt that the Federal Government would pay these areas even as we approach the yuletide season. Another promise that was made was to import CNG buses across the country and to set up CNG conversion plants across the country. However, five months since the promise was made, there is no evidence of CNG buses anywhere in Abuja or Lagos. This promise has been left unfulfilled despite the supplementary budget submitted by the President and approved by the National Assembly. To achieve this feat, the Federal Government had approached the World Bank for a loan, the savings from the subsidy removal would have also presented itself as a source of funding to implement the promise.
The silence of the Federal Government to the continuous sufferings of the masses since the removal of fuel subsidy indicates a lot of insensitivity to the plight of the citizens. The show of insensitivity was heightened by the fact that the same Federal Government had approved the purchase of luxury SUVs for the newly elected lawmakers which cost over N160m per vehicle. The recently presented budgets of the FG to the NASS also reveals a lot of frivolous allocations to the Presidency. The 2024 budget has frivolous items such as N9.2bn for annual routine maintenance of mechanical/electrical installations of the Presidential Villa, N4bn for State House operational vehicles, N2bn for replacement of SUVs, N5bn for renovation of Dodan Barracks Presidential Lodge, N10bn for digitization of State House, N15bn for residence of the Vice President, among others. This level of frivolity in budgetary allocation to the Presidency in the midst of widespread poverty in the nation, showcases crass insensitivity, abuse of power and lip service to call for sacrifice.
Most Nigerian workers go to bed hungry, some are depressed, while some have died due to depression and yet the top officials of the government are living a lavish lifestyle on borrowed funds and neglecting the suffering masses. The advisers of the President should appeal to the conscience of the Federal Government to focus more on the plight of the 133 million poor citizens when it comes to the allocation of its resources. Studies have shown that of the 133 million poor Nigerians, about 60 million are multidimensionally poor. The poor civil servants who earn just N30,000 as minimum wage should be given a reprieve, by paying them all arrears from October to December, of the N35,000 wage award. It is worthy to mention that inasmuch as the price of fuel remains at its current rate, the cost of living has been excessively affected and it is beyond the reach of most Nigerians. Therefore, whatever palliatives the FG had promised, there is a need for it to swing into action and fulfill these promises to avoid a social crisis that is beyond its control. The CNG buses should be immediately deployed across cities and the CNG plants should be set up nationwide to provide CNG conversion services to Nigerians at a very affordable rate.
• Victor Emejuiwe is the Programme Manager (Good Governance) of the Centre for Social Justice, writes from Abuja.