From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Osun Masterminds (TOM), has called on the government to close down all schools pending when the fuel scarcity would phase out to ease the hardship of students and parents.
Speaking at a monthly address at Osogbo, Osun State, yesterday, the Executive Director of TOM, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, advised all the state governments to think in the direction of Ekiti State, and take charge of the state’s electricity regulation as exemplified by the Ekiti State Government with the launch of an Electricity Regulatory Agency.
According to the group, “In just a few days of this meaningless fuel scarcity, Nigerians have faced one of the toughest experiences of their lives. Students have had to return home, unable to get to their respective schools due to shortage of public transportation. The economy is getting crippled by the day as workers and informal sector operators are also unable to get to their places of work.
“We recommend the shutting down of schools, maybe, for a few weeks, while this scarcity lasts to avoid the children and their parents suffering unduly.
“In the midst of all these, the power situation in recent times has been the worst Nigerians have experienced in recent history. Yet, the government has not made any clear statement about the worsening situations across the power and petroleum industries. This is grossly irresponsible.
“We demand as a group that the Federal Government acts immediately to solve all the problems about the epileptic power supply and fuel scarcity, to stop the untold hardship that Nigerians are currently going through. We cannot be living like slaves in our own country, under a democratic governance.
“If solving the current hardship requires that some government officials be sacked, the government must take that decisive action now. The government must also immediately tell Nigerians what the state of the Port-Harcourt Refinery is. Promises upon promises have been made to make the Nation’s refineries start work in no distant time, with the added promise that this will crash the price of petroleum products in the country. Nigerians are waiting for the actualisation of these promises, and must not be made to wait for too long.”
“The Federal Government must act responsibly, and make good the promises it made on the power and petroleum sectors, failing which Nigerians may be forced to take to the streets to protest the current mismanagement of our critical sectors.
“This also leads us to a call on the Osun State Government, and other states in the federation to immediately take charge of the state’s electricity regulation, with decisive steps like the recent one the Ekiti State Government took with the launch of an electricity regulatory agency.
“It is high time the states took charge of the delivery of electricity to their people, to ensure development in their respective domains. Osun State must take this step as soon as possible, as it cannot be left behind in this critical area, especially at this time, when the electricity situation in the state is at the worst it has ever been,” the group said.