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Obasanjo was afraid of the masses -Beko
Chairman of the Labour and the Civil Society Coalition
(LASCO), Dr. Beko Ransome Kuti, spoke with ADESOJI OYINLOLA on the suspended strike, saying
President Olusegun Obasanjo bowed to the pressure because Nigerians have
decided to fight.
How would you describe the federal
government’s decision to reduce the prices of petroleum products shortly
before the expiration of the ultimatum given by the Nigeria Labour Congress and
human rights community? Do you see it as a victory for the people?
It was a welcome development that
the federal government, for the first time avoided going into battle not only
with the organised labour and human rights community but with the masses of
this country. We could have gone ahead with the strike but for the legal advice
given by Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Mr Femi Falana to await the decision of the
court.
What do you think is responsible for President
Obasanjo’s change his position by partly acceding to the demand by the
Nigeria Labour Congress?
The co-operation and readiness of the people to
take their destiny in their hand, coupled with the resolve to fight the
injustice and dictatorial behaviour of Mr. President to me was responsible for
the shift in position by Obasanjo.
Nigerians have been taken for ride for a long time and I think they also
realised the need to bare their mind so that government would begin to take
them serious. Also I want to say
that if Nigerians can always come out to fight this type of injustice the
country will be a better place for all of us.
Talking about the reduction, Are you
satisfied by the fact that just a meagre sum was reduced instead of the request
that government should revert to the old price. Do you think labour has
achieved it goals?
Like I said earlier,
the decision to go back on our decision to embark on the strike has little or
nothing with the cut in price by the federal government, rather it has to do
with the professional advice of our colleagues, Chief Fawehinmi and Mr Falana.
We are awaiting the outcome of the appeal in court and when that happens we
would know the next line of action.
How come that each time there is an
increment, the independent marketers find it easy to adjust the pump price
while it is always the other way round when there is a reduction? Don’t you think the government
needs to wield the big stick to bring things to order?
They always do this in connivance with the
government as you can find out.
Even this so called compliance only happens in the big city like Abuja,
Lagos, Port Harcourt where the marketers fear attack from the people should
they fail to comply. What you find
out in other places is that the marketers always disregard directives by
government to reduce price of petroleum products. All these activities are known to government but they would
rather look elsewhere when the marketers carry on business as usual.
Don’t you think the
incessant increase in prices of petroleum products coupled with the strike is
enough to negatively affect the economy of the country. What is your view of a
lasting solution to this problem?
The point is that the government is not just being
truthful and always running away from its responsibilities. We know that the
government has its deregulation policy in place, but when you look at the fact
that almost all activities of the different sectors heavily rely on usage of
petroleum products, that itself is enough for our government to build new
refineries. Although it may take
time, the earlier it is started the better.
Also, we all know that the existing refineries are
not in order the, federal government also benefits from the increase in the prices of crude oil at
the international market, having realised its own shortcomings at the domestic
level, it should always try to use part of the excessive earnings to augment
the increase in domestic price of these products by way of subsidising the
products. This arrangement is not enough to totally abandon plans to either
make the existing refineries to get back to work or build another one. It we
have the control of refining our oil locally, then regardless of what happen at
the international market, we would be able to control the domestic price. To me
I think that is a way of finding a lasting solution to the problem.
The argument by government concerning
subsidy is that some people catch in on it to enrich themselves by hoarding and
selling the products across Nigerian boarders. Do you think that argument is
tenable?
There is no country in the world
where you would not find saboteurs; it is the duty of the government to protect
the citizen of the country from any act that is capable of making life
difficult for them. If the government has realised these set of people, it
should fish them out and deal with them accordingly, rather than subject the
masses of these country to untold hardship.
The issue of petroleum product is
so, important that if not carefully handled, it can wipe out the poor masses of
this country. There is a limit to which the masses can afford to buy kerosene
and petrol, which are the two of the petroleum products that affect the lives
of the masses most.
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