Fiddling while Rome is burning

Yesterday, Boko Haram gave an order that would essentially split Nigeria along its fabled fault-line. They asked Christians in the North to quit the region in three days or else...

What the Bokomites did not take into consideration is the fact that there is a very substantial population resident in the North, who are not Muslim, and who have called the area now known as Northern Nigeria home since time immemorial. Think the Tera people, the Zangos, the Katafs, and you will the get where we are headed.

Sadly, our government has reacted in its usual manner with the National Security Adviser telling us that there's no cause for alarm, and some other person within the FG telling us that Niger Delta militants will not retaliate. It is funny how the FG seems to have suddenly become the spokespeople for the Niger Delta militants, a situation that first reared its ugly head during the aftermath of our 50th independence anniversary celebrations...

The Niger Delta militants through Asari Dokubo have put an end to such rubbish talk though. Mr. Dokubo has made it clear that any rubbish of that sort will be met with equal force.

For those of us writing this, we are more interested in the rather testy issue of increasing prices as occasioned by Sunday's rather abrupt removal of the fuel subsidies. Organised labour has ordered a nationwide strike in an attempt to force prices back to 2011 levels. Meanwhile the government appears nonplussed as the President has set up a committee to talk with labour over the issue. Whether this is just a tactic to buy time, only time itself can tell. It certainly seems so though, as the President's media aide has publicly backed the increase.

My own view on the whole debate about protesting or not is very simple.

Any protest that does not return us to the pre-January 1 levels of NGN65 per litre is a waste of time.

Let me tell you a story.

In 2004, the Obasanjo government "removed subsidies" and increased the price of petrol from NGN27 as it was then to NGN48. People hit the streets in sometimes violent protest, and eventually negotiations occurred, and a pump price of NGN38 was agreed upon. Did we achieve our aim? No. Was there an increase? Yes. Did the costs of other goods and services go up? Yes. So who are we kidding?

Prior to Sunday's "shock" announcement, the government had flown the kite that when "subsidies are removed" that the price of petrol would come to about NGN120. Then suddenly the PPPRA fixes prices at NGN141?

First, if it is indeed market forces that are in control, how can the PPPRA be in control of what people sell at as implied here? Someone is being very economical with the truth, and we all know who that person/those people is/are.

This is the script that has been planned: raise prices 116% (done). People begin to protest (on-going). Then come to the negotiating table, and somewhere along the line agree to a decrease and final price of between NGN100 and NGN120 (still to come).

Then six years down the line, the next government will sell us that bullshit of having to remove subsidies!

When will this vicious cycle ever end?

I can tell you when it will end. It will never end because Nigerians are bloody cowards. Remember the immortal words of Fela the Sage in Sorrow, Tears and Blood?

"My people sef dem fear too much..."