This Bishop Led Anti Fuel Subsidy Removal Protests In Ekiti
He is neither a human rights crusader nor a labour leader, but Most Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaye, the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Ekiti State, is an activist. In Ekiti, the bishop has a reputation for speaking his mind to government, not minding whose ox is gored. Bishop Ajakaye, born in Ibadan on May 25, 1962, is of Ilawe-Ekiti parentage. He was ordained a Catholic priest about 25 years ago. He studied at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Gregorian University, Rome and the University of Wales. In 2007, he wrote a book, Beyond Ideas, in which he spoke on religion, politics and football, among others.
On Monday January 9, 2012, the man of God led labour unions, students and civil society groups in Ado-Ekiti to protest against the removal of oil subsidy by the Federal Government. While addressing the mammoth crowd at the Fajuyi Square in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital that day, he expressed worry over President Jonathan’s hesitation to address the security challenges facing the country through the dreadful Boko Haram sect that is killing people en masse. He was also very swift in condemning the removal of fuel subsidy which he noted was causing considerable hardship for people since New Year Day.
When Governor Kayode Fayemi was celebrating his first year in office in October last year, Ajakaye was billed to preach. At the service, he bluntly told the governor to, as a matter of urgency, fix the roads in the state capital instead of inviting people to come and rejoice with his administration when the roads were still very bad. The governor has since expedited action on the roads in Ado-Ekiti.
The bishop bared his mind to Daily Sun in Ado-Ekiti.
Removal Of Subsidy
Every first day of the year is regarded as God’s blessing to human beings. But for the president of the country to come with that kind of policy on the first day of the year portrays us as a nation where anything goes. And Nigeria should not be a country where anything goes. That is why people are sad. To date we are faced with security challenges; particularly bombing attacks in the North, even in Abuja. Incessant armed robbery attacks, terrible kidnapping and so on. And my president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan seems not to know how to tackle the security challenges that we are facing. And all of us are coming together and rallying round to say Nigeria belongs to us, we must not allow agents of darkness to overcome agents of light. And we were trying to fashion out ways of resolving the security challenges together as a people. And behold my president, our president, your president decided to introduce deregulation of PMS, otherwise known as petrol, from N65 to N140 per litre.
We are tired of deceptions
The government is saying that the subsidy will have to be removed for a better tomorrow, but there should have been certain things put in place to ensure that Nigerian people would not be poorer with the removal. And we were made to understand that it would not even come in the first quarter of the year. And that is why some, if not many of us, are not happy. And we are saying it is not acceptable. You don’t run government that way. Government of deceit will put a kind of barrier between itself and the people. The people have voted you into office, listen to the people. And if the people have voted you in, even if what we are saying is foolish, even if what we are saying is stupid, still listen to our own argument. Let us discuss. And that is why people are not happy because certain factors were not considered before the removal. A sudden removal at the beginning of the year; and people are tired of lies and deception.
Each time the oil subsidy removal was carried out we would be told life would be better for the people. We would have good roads, good healthcare delivery, quality education, power supply, good water supply, and so on. But it is the same old story. People have known that they have been deceived. The subsidy has been removed several times; have the lives of the people got better or worse? And that is why people tend to lose hope in government that deceives. And that is why people say, enough is enough.
Those in government, the ministers and even the governor of Central Bank, they keep going about supporting the removal of oil subsidy at the expense of security challenges that we are facing. The president said members of Boko Haram are in his cabinet, and also in the legislature and the judiciary, and in the security agencies too. So if they are there, then my president who is the Commander in- Chief of the Armed Forces, then it is an indictment on his part. Now you announced the deregulation on the first day of the year when you have not yet addressed the security challenges.
I’m sad
Can I ever lose hope in my country? No. But patriotism does not mean stupidity. This is not the time. What we are saying is that even if deregulation is the best for Nigeria, this is not the time. We should have discussed. And the government can then tell us what it’s now doing. We are tired of fire brigade approach in this country. People like Okonjo-Iweala was in government when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the president. She was the Minister of Finance and there was removal of oil subsidy, not once, not twice, I think it was about seven times. And it is the same old story. In the Republic of Benin, it is this amount per litre.
In Ghana, it is so, so, so. Go to Ghana, the lifestyle in Ghana is better than the lifestyle in this country. And that is why many Nigerians now are sending their children to Ghana to go and study in their universities and other higher institutions. They said with the removal of subsidy, the tollgates would be removed. They removed the tollgates after the removal of the subsidy during the Okonjo-Iweala’s time. Now they are still saying they want to rebuild the tollgates again. You know Nigerian government changes policy like the unpredictable British weather. You may go out in the morning and it is sunny but before noon it may start raining. Why should they be changing policies anyhow? There should be continuity. They waste a lot of money. I heard Okonjo-Iweala speaking on television, saying that government had borrowed money without paying back. She was part of the government.
Let President lead by example
Last year, the president said the minimum wage was N18,000 without much consultation. You don’t operate like that. Let people have trust in you. Enough is enough with this type of politics. I thought with Jonathan coming in we have buried the politics of do or die. This is the politics of rascality that he, Jonathan, was talking against last year. I went out to vote with the people, guiding my voter’s card jealously. I didn’t vote for a government of deceit. They keep telling us to sacrifice. But as a president, he is being fed by the people, tax payers’ money. Everything is free. The petrol is free. Food is free.
The budget now says the president and the vice president will be spending at least N1billion on food in a year. There are those who are earning between N7, 000 and N10, 000. Why can’t they be practical in their approach to issues? Because of the protests, he quickly addressed Nigerians that 25% of the basic salary of political office holders will be deducted. How much does the president earn as a whole? Do we know? Why do they run the country as if it is a secret cult? When people see you that you are accountable they will be willing to sacrifice. When the taxes people pay are being well utilized, they will be happy.
These leaders force people to pay taxes but do they themselves pay taxes? Do they? In Europe and America, it is the more you earn the more you pay. But here, it is the poor they force to pay. They are telling the poor that they should experience pain so that they can enjoy tomorrow. Why don’t you start experiencing the pain first and let us see you and how you are enduring it? People now know the truth because they are more knowledgeable than ever before. Be open. And if they are more open, this removal of oil subsidy would not have caused any problem.
You are saying some people are getting richer because of the subsidy. Since you know them why can’t you prosecute them, no matter whose ox is gored? Even if it is me, let the people know. Let us know the enemies of the people.
But when you say you know the agents of darkness behind the Boko Haram, you tell us you know them and you don’t mention their names, you don’t prosecute them, and you say they are in your government, and you say it is difficult to find them. Then that is failure.
source: sunnewsonline
