A retired professor of philosophy, Moses Akin Makinde, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s apology over the lingering fuel scarcity was not enough.According to him, Nigerians have never had it so bad since Independence.
He said despite the media informing the nation of a pending fuel crisis about three weeks ago, the Federal Government and the Minister of State for Petroleum behaved as if nothing was at stake.
“Call it a lack of foresight,” Makinde said in a statement issued yesterday.
It added: “The government exhibited a frightening incompetence by not being proactive to deal with the serious fuel scarcity that erupted and sent the entire nation into a state of agony and anger when it happened that the government suddenly found itself completely incapable and totally helpless in dealing with the scarcity of petrol that shattered people’s hopes and anticipated universal joy and merriment that usually accompany Yuletide that comes only once in a year all over the world.
“There is no country in the world, whether in America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East or the rest of Africa that sent their citizens into a state of anguish, desperation, anger, bitterness and everything that was bad against humanity, like Nigeria where wickedness, evil, sins and ungodly acts reign supreme. In fact, as I once wrote, “evil triumphs in Nigeria!.” And, in Nigeria, misfortune never comes single.
“It was good enough that this year’s Christmas fall on a long weekend whereby many Christians all over the country would have made preparations since January, 2017 to spend the long holiday at this years Christmas in their various towns and villages. The few who do not travel would remain in their stations hoping to spend quality times with their families and visit their friends, which is typical at Christmas – the season of joy.
“But for Nigerians, from 23rd to Christmas eve on December 24th through Christmas day and boxing day, 26th December, 2017, traumatized Nigerians spent their holidays at the petrol stations. Many actually slept at the petrol stations during the festive period.
“Surely, the whole world would sympathize but laugh at Nigeria at the incompetence of its leaders in dealing with a minor issue like availability of fuel, not to talk of fuel crisis, at Christmas, the period of joy and merriment which other nations take for granted. Why are good acts, good things, joy and happiness difficult to be found in Nigeria? Those who say that Nigeria is a cursed nation are damn right.
“Apart from this, those who are creating problems and untold hardships in Nigeria are cursed on a daily basis, and remain cursed by millions of angry Nigerians in a fell-swoop. The curses may not be reversible even by atonement. This is because the wicked cannot go unpunished. The punishment from God and several curses by traumatized Nigerians will surely come on the wicked people if not today but tomorrow. Mark my words!
“The issue of fuel crisis was compounded by non-payment of salaries, pensions and arrears by governments well before Christmas to allow for early shopping. Out of extreme wickedness, some workers were paid only half of salaries for December and some none at all until very late.
“Like fuel crisis, the payment of salaries to some people only on Friday, the last working and banking day before Christmas, forced people to rely on ATM to source for money for whatever was left of Christmas preparations. Newspaper reports showed that there was pandemonium in the banks as the crowd of people trying to get money through the ATM, which was the last chance to get limited amount for Christmas, was frightening.
“To make things worse, there was not enough money in the ATM machines so that many people who had waited on the lines for several hours went home empty-handed! The scenarios therefore became those of no fuel, no money, no electricity and no fuel to power generators in lieu of electricity.
“Surely, 2017 Christmas was a black and bleak one, one of the worst experienced in Nigeria since independence. Some people have also wondered why fuel crisis usually rears its ugly head at Christian religious festivals and not during other religious festivals.
“The Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was right when he described the fuel scarcity as shameful. But he should have realized that his statement, by itself, was shameful, just as Mr. President’s apology was a shame. I am sure this year’s fuel crisis is a bad case that will linger in people’s minds till 2019 and beyond.
“ Perhaps the Federal Government can atone for its sins of omission and commission by declaring January 1 & 2, 2018 (Monday and Tuesday respectively) as public holidays for the New Year celebration in order to compensate Nigerians of all religions for spoiling their well-deserved enjoyment of the long weekend which was badly battered at Christmas by the fuel crisis. But this compensation would be meaningless only if the fuel crisis does persist till Friday 29th and Saturday 30th December, 2017.
“Those who are blessed should learn how to bless others while people should wish for others what they wish for themselves. Sincerely, those who are enjoying while others are suffering should remember that there is God watching everybody.
“One last line – could the President sleep while his citizens were suffering for lack of salaries and pension arrears as well as from problems of fuel crisis during this year’s Christmas?
“If Mr. President did sleep, then he is very inconsistent with what he told the governors about non-payment of salaries and pension arrears from the bailout from the Paris Club.”
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