Matthew Asabor
Lagos — The Trade Union Congress, TUC, has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s comparison of Nigeria with Saudi Arabia, regarding petrol price, in his independence day speech.
President Buhari had in his speech stated that it does not make sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Niger Republic and Republic of Benin, among other oil-producing nations.
But in a statement, the President TUC, Comrade Quadri Olaleye, said the comparison with a country like Saudi Arabia was unnecessary because Nigeria is not at par in all ramifications with Saudi Arabia and the countries mentioned.
‘Come to think of it, what has Nigeria achieved with all the money made from oil for over six decades of oil exploration in commercial quantity? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. All successive leaderships have done is loot, launder and buy properties in foreign land’
‘In many of these countries money does not move around the way it does in Nigeria. Our politicians spray dollars at weddings in Nigeria. They use foreign hospitals, shop abroad and do all manner of crazy things. So, if the President is defending the hike, what does he want to do with the surplus they will make from the hike? The same old story of providing infrastructure. Our roads are nothing but death traps. Our leaders are not patriotic at all’ he fumed.
Quadri said that the President may not be corrupt but he has not been able to check his appointees, many of whom are very corrupt and government is robbing Peter (masses) to pay Paul (politicians and cronies), he added that ‘It is ungodly and evil in the sight of God’
The TUC boss stressed that it is unarguable that in Nigeria everyone is a local government but in Saudi Arabia roads, water, and to some extent jobs are not big issues as they are provided by the government.
He analyzed that Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) gives over 70% of Nigerians estimated bills and also refused to meter houses in order for them to continue to prey on the masses yet the government is not doing enough to change the narrative.
‘There is no need for this comparison because it looks like the President is defending fraud and the impoverishment of Nigerians’ he said.
