When the former governor of Kwara state and chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki moved a motion on the floor of the Senate to expose the fraud in the oil subsidy regime, little did the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration and Nigerians believe that the same issue would later, and practically, ground the nation as Nigerians have experienced in the last few days.
In the last quarter of 2011, the Senator who represents Kwara Central in the red chambers had raised a motion in the Senate, seeking an investigation into the N240 billion budgeted in the 2011 Appropriation Act for fuel subsidy but that more than N1.2 trillion was actually spent by the end of that year.
The fuel scarcity currently experienced nationwide in Nigeria occasioned by the declaration of industrial action by Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in solidarity with major marketers was reported done to put pressure on President Jonathan to pay an additional N200billion comprising outstanding claims and foreign exchange rate differential before leaving office on May 29. Though, the claims are yet unverified and subject of controversies.
The attendant consequences of this fuel scarcity has taken toll on all Nigerians and all sectors of the economy. Universities have been forced to declare impromptu break for students. Most banks have found it unavoidable to reduce their opening hours due to shortage or unavailability of petroleum products. Radio Stations now shut down by 8:00pm in the country.
Many Nigerians have argued that if the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration had listened to the issues raised by Senator Bukola Saraki on fuel subsidy, perhaps, the country and her people would have been saved from the hardship of these past days.
Before Senator Saraki raised the issue of fuel subsidy on the floor of the Senate, it was gathered that in a meeting between President Jonathan and himself, he frankly told Mr President that if something urgent was not done to address the menace and spate of oil theft and subsidy fraud, that the federal government will sooner than later struggle to meet its demands and obligations to Nigerians, including difficulties in payment of salaries, infrastructural projects et al.
If only defiant President Jonathan had taken heed to what has now become a wise counsel from Senator Bukola Saraki, the country would not only have saved the trillions that have been expended on fraudulent subsidy regime but also, the major oil marketers would have had no reason to ground the nation for the long and uneventful duration of over 48hours.
Therefore, by the Saraki challenge, it wasn’t surprising, after 3 years, that the Federal government through the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was later forced by circumstances to admit the truth about the fuel subsidy regime.
She recently admitted that considerable fraud was discovered in the subsidy scheme in 2011 when, according to her, only N252 billion was authenticated out of the N1.2 trillion subsidy paid during the time, Okonjo-Iweala said she had declined to sign the cheque of N159 billion demanded by the marketers to avoid being accused of signing unverified claims after leaving office.
For Saraki, by raising the issue of fuel subsidy and speaking truth to power, he acted out of patriotism.
He once said that, “the billions of naira going into individuals pockets in the name of fuel subsidy could be channelled towards ventures that would bring about massive employment opportunities and economic buoyancy in all parts of the country”.
But what Senator Saraki did out of patriotism marked the genesis of his persecution by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration. If he wasn’t invited by the police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) for one issue or the other, he would be harassed by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
However, it is on record that till today, no charge has ever been brought up against Senator Saraki by any anti-graft agency. Some Nigerians simply concluded that they were agencies of persecution deployed by President Jonathan to harass Senator Saraki for daring to speak the truth to power on behalf of Nigerians.
Therefore, it was understandable when groups of Northern Youths and Yoruba Youths recently urged the Senators-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to nominate and elect Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President of the 8th National Assembly due to his visionary leadership.
Senator Saraki is a leader that can be said, by all standards, to be visionary and well-grounded in understanding the problems of the country. I believe that it takes a man of such courage like Senator Saraki to lead the National Assembly. I strongly believe that the 8th Senate deserves nothing less than a competent and visionary leadership. Meanwhile, the fuel scarcity palava is an avoidable national crises
