Dunmininu David
23 September, 2011, Sweetcrude, ABEOKUTA- AS the Federal Government is yet to declare if the fuel subsidy would be removed or not, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Ogun State branch, has called on government to be sincere with removing of the subsidy enjoyed by Nigerians.
The union urged the government to ensure that all the nation’s refineries are working at the optimum capacity, saying this would help justify reasons for the removal of subsidy.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on Thursday, IPMAN Chairman in the state, Alhaji Dele Tajudeen also called on the Federal Government to resolve the Boko Haram threat by all reasonable means to prevent total grounding of the economy.
“We cannot continue to talk about it for over ten years now without anything. This is because there is no sincerity on the part of the government. If you want to remove it and there is a genuine reason for it, then, go ahead and do it.
We only hear it in the news and at the end of the day, probably, a particular government is afraid of some people, maybe that is why the government has not been able to maintain a clear position. A lot of people have been asking me this question, why is the government creating fears in the mind of the people.”
“What we are saying is that though; the price of the product is less in this country but we are an oil-producing country for-crying-out-loud. It should be less. Why are the refineries not working? When you bring crude oil from overseas or you take it to the other countries to refine, there is tendency of incurring more cost on transportation and insurance on the product is there. So why can’t we fix our refineries and put all necessary things in place to justify the removal of the subsidy.
“Let the refineries be alright, if Nigeria just discovered oil toady are we not going to have the refinery? We have refineries that are not functioning. We have four but all of them are not working to the fullest capacity. Unless all these refineries are working, we will not be able to do something meaningful.”
Tajudeen, who was flanked by the Public Relations Officer of the union, Alhaji, Ola Faari, appealed that the government should handle the threat posed by the activities of Boko Haram Islamic sect reasonably.
According to him, it is the duty of any government to ensure protection of lives and properties of its citizens.
While condemned the bombing approach regularly used by the sect to press home their demands, he said the killing of innocent people was very wrong.
“Boko haram is an house hold name, I don’t know what would have informed the name because it simply mean “western education is evil” well, if they say education is not right, education is optional, so if you don’t like western education you can go for Arabic education.
“While the bombings and the killing of innocent people is very wrong but whatever approaches the government wants to use to stop this, either through dialogue or whatever approach, government should approach this reasonably,” he declared.
