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How security report forced Obasanjo ... to slash fuel price
Bukola Ojeme
Fresh facts on Friday indicated that President Olusegun Obasanjo was forced to reduce fuel pump price from N53 to N49 per litre by the grim consequences painted by security reports on the shelved national strike called by labour.
The President had, a few hours to the strike on Monday, conceded to the reduction in the pump price of kerosene and petroleum to N46 and N49 respectively, till next January.
Findings by Sunday Punch on Thursday revealed that security reports made available to the President by the Police and the State Security Service (SSS) spoke of a groundswell of support for the strike called by labour and the civil society.
Consequently, some influential forces in the Presidency were said to have prevailed on him to have a change of heart and approve a reduction in the pump price of petrol and kerosene.
A top police source confided that an intelligence report made available to the President on the eve of Sallah by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, indicated that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had a well-thought out mobilisation strategy that could make the planned sit at home strike almost impossible to stop.
The officer, who pleaded anonymity, cited the Inspector General�s weekly security report to the President, from November 8 to 11, 2004.
�The IGP�s weekly security report to the President in week 45, that is between November 8th to 11th made it very clear to Mr. President that the strike was bound to be a total success, irrespective of whether Adams Oshiomole was arrested or not.
�The reason given by the IGP, in this particular report, was that labour and its collaborators had mobilised for the strike in Cell formation, that is by devolving the leadership and co-ordination of the strike to localities and zones�.
The reports also indicated that NLC had succeeded in co-opting many mass organisations to join the strike.
�Intelligence reports indicated that the bulk of the transport unions and other civil society groups were fully mobilised and even induced financially to support the strike.
�Most of them were promised some form of financial compensation for the number of days they would stay off their business to participate in the strike,� he added.
�On the basis of this report and that of other relevant security agencies, there was a meeting in the Villa between some Presidency officials and all the relevant security out fits to analyse these intelligence reports on Sallah day to deliberate on the way forward.
�But after considering all the reports, majority of those in attendance agreed that, the mobilisation for the strike was too well co-ordinated to fail�.
A source in the Intelligence service also confirmed to Sunday Punch, that its security report on the planned strike agreed substantially with that of the police.
�We were very pleasantly surprised that, the police were able to come up with some intelligence that very closely had some basic elements of facts.
�It is true that, the incapacitation of the leadership of the NLC could not have been able to stop the strike. We also realised that, from a broader internal security perspective, the closeness of the hand over date in Plateau and the fast developing situation in Anambra were dangerous coincidences to allow the strike to go on.
�You would also realise the broader question of this administration�s commitment to her friends, particularly oil-consuming nations such as the United States to do everything possible to keep crude oil prices stable. In any case, we were duty bound to let the authorities know that over 90 percent of the populace actually supported the strike. That includes even those in the upper reaches of government. It was indeed a very dicey situation,� he said.
�Another reason for the expected success of the planned strike was that, the Presidency decided very late to mount intensive propaganda against the strike through the recruitment and empowerment of willing civil society groups to embark on anti-strike rally.
But it was doomed to fail, as our intelligence later revealed, because most of those who were given money decided to divert it or use as little as possible for the purpose for which it was meant,� he said.
The source stated that the arrowhead of one of the civil society groups engaged by the government to organise an anti-strike rally in Abuja was beaten to pulp last week Monday by an angry mob, who were aggrieved by the refusal of the organisers to pay them the agreed sum, after the rally.
�As if to confirm our intelligence report, one of the groups recruited to embark on the anti-strike rally refused to pay the money he had agreed with the crowd he rented. They did not only vandalise his office in Area 11, but almost lynched him, but for the timely intervention of the Police. This same group was given N5 million,� he said.
The Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, refused to comment on the matter.
�There is nothing I can say about that because I have not seen any police report.�
An official in the Public Affairs Department of the State Security Service, who pleaded not to be named during a telephone interview with Sunday Punch on Thursday said he could neither confirm nor deny if there was such reports sent to the presidency.
Sunday PUNCH November 21, 2004
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