As the reality of the removal of fuel subsidy on Nigerians begins to unfold, the Federal Government has continuously reiterated its plans towards reviving the ailing national economy. Charles Akinsete observes that the state governors also have to be accountable for their roles in the subsidy removal.Nigerians, in the last few days, have no doubt gone through some measure of economic difficulty with the sudden hike in fuel price, following the removal of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) subsidy, popularly referred to as petrol, by the Federal Government. On the part of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, the need for the removal of the fuel subsidy remained imperative, though poignant, given the downward trend of the Nigerian economy, among other factors. Hence, to avert an economic calamity in the future, it claimed, Nigerians must 'sacrifice now' in order to reap the reward of a better living condition in the future.The Federal Government did not stop in its bid to convince angry Nigerians through its principal team, which mainly comprised the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Alison-Madueke, Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Sanusi Lamido, of its good initiatives, both short and long term, aimed at channelling the subsidy funds to the ailing sectors of the economy. The government averred that the deregulation of the downstream sector remained the only answer to curb mainstream corruption which, as agreed to by all and sundry, remained the bedrock of the socio-economic crises that have stagnated the development of the country and is currently threatening its economic survival. Hence, irrespective of the pains and severe inconvenience, the Federal Government remained steadfast to its decision. And in the midst of the biting effects of the subsequent strike organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which grounded the nation, cumulating in the loss of innocent lives, the petrol price, on Monday, was finally pegged at N97, despite the organised labour's intent to revert to the price of N65 from N141.Furthermore, there are strong indications that the N97 pump price would only serve as a temporary palliative for the Nigerian masses. The Federal Government's resolve, according to information gathered, was to completely deregulate the downstream sector. As a result, the pump price, in the nearest future, would most likely return to N141 and there seems to be no turning back, even as the fiercest opponents of the removal of the fuel subsidy have gradually come to terms with the inevitable reality on ground. The question is, what happens, after the total removal of fuel subsidy in the nearest future'The FG has repeatedly rolled out its agenda in the media, hoping that the people would give ear and support to its programmes. But many people have accepted the Federal Goverment's position with vile pessimism. However, its decision, no doubt, came with a heavy price. Political watchers of events have rated the trust and support bestowed on President Jonathan in the April 2011 presidential election, arguing that it is on a rapid decline. 'The rush to remove the subsidy and embark on full deregulation without 'grounding the policy sufficiently' smacks of short-sightedness on the part of government and this has done incalculable collateral damage to the trust and goodwill the people have invested in it,' said Emeka Okolo, a political analyst.In fact, many Nigerians, home and abroad, whether equipped with the consistently-stated, well-articulated Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Plan (SURE) agenda or not, remain pathetic and bitter about the development. As a result, all eyes are on the Federal Government, just as some critics have vowed to remain resolute in ensuring that the Jonathan-led government does not later play to the gallery. To some, the Nigerian masses, as docile as they may appear after the strike protest, are still agitated; a wrong signal could start a spark that may lead to total breakdown of law and order, if the government doesn't keep to the end of its bargain.A prominent politician, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, while admonishing Nigerians not to accept defeat in its fight for an improved society, said that the task of making the Nigerian leaders accountable had just begun. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune by telephone, he said that there was every tendency that the Jonathan-led administration meant well for the nation. But, Nigerians must rise and defend their rights.'I think it is a win-win for both the Federal Government and the people because with the removal of the fuel subsidy, the Federal Government now has no more excuse. If at the end, this administration does not perform, then the people have every right to protest ad infinitum.'Another advantage the people must realise is that since there is no more subsidy, no government in the nearest future would have any justification for any increase in petrol pump price again. Now, we expect that with time, the pump price should, in fact, come down. So, the government has no excuse whatsoever. If the Federal Government had gone back to N65, the fuel price may in fact go beyond N200 per litre, peradventure the country's economy does not improve,' he said.But while the intense disparagement of the Jonathan-led government on the sudden hike in the price of PMS was ongoing, it was quite ironical that the state governors who, Okonjo-Iweala recently said, jointly agreed with the Federal Government on the removal of fuel subsidy, had been hiding behind the curtains, while the Federal Government took all the heat. The government also made efforts to calm and educate the irritated masses. Throughout the strike, little or nothing was heard from most of the governors about the subsidy removal issue, as many of them refused to take a stand, despite the fact that the protest was done right under their noses.The question then is, on whose side were the governors' And more importantly, do they stand to benefit from the electorate who gave them their mandate to govern or are they with the Federal Government, in a mouth-watering anticipation of billions of naira that would be accruable to their respective states' Why were many of them silent throughout the protest'A school of thought has revealed that Nigerians must not allow the wool to be completely pulled over their eyes by focusing on the Federal Government alone, which has, at least, voiced out its intentions for the benefit of the people. Accordingly, attention must be focused on the state governors, given the fact that state governments would, in fact, become direct beneficiaries of the subsidy funds. While the Federal Government would have access to about N480billion, the state governments would have in their respective coffers more than N600billion, apart from its statutory allocations, that is two-thirds of the subsidy fund. In this vein, the silence of many of the state governors, not only on the removal of the subsidy, but more importantly, on the non-declaration of intent so far on plans for the electorate, in political quarters, is an ominous sign for the people, who, without the fuel subsidy, are now paying through their noses.So far, three governors have already started mapping out strategies on how to equitably use the subsidy resources for the benefit of their people. Reports have it that Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, recently declared plans to further subsidise the petrol price in the state by four naira per litre, while his Delta State counterpart, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, recently announced plans to ameliorate the hike in price of transportation through the provision of 600 mass transit buses. Niger State governor, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, equally announced a set of palliatives for the people of his state. The question remains thus; why have other state governors remained silent'The scenario of the South-West geopolitical zone, particularly the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)-controlled states namely Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti, remains different, judging from the opposing stance of the governors to the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government. In response to the deregulation of the downstream sector, the governors had kicked against the move, claiming that it was not in the best interest of the masses.After a closed-door meeting, which took place at the Marina official residence of the Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, on Saturday, 7 January, the ACN governors were reported to have taken sides with their party's position on the removal of subsidy on petrol, describing the policy as ill-timed. According to reports, the standpoint of the governors was contrary to the position of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) to which they also belong. The NGF had initially met with President Jonathan, resolving to back the subsidy withdrawal on petrol. However, the ACN governors claimed otherwise in a press release, saying 'our party has already expressed its reservation about the recent policy of the Federal Government regarding fuel subsidy, particularly its sudden implementation. We fully associate ourselves with the position of our party'.In furtherance of their dissociation from the removal of the fuel subsidy, Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, during the fuel price protest in the state, had called on President Jonathan to listen to the cries of the Nigerian masses who wanted a revert of the pump price of petrol to N65 per litre, saying, according to reports, that he remained on the side of the people of the state who were already feeling the pains of the increase in the pump price of petrol.His Osun State counterpart, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, had described the removal of fuel subsidy as a cruel and anti-people policy designed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government without any feeling for the poor, adding that the move was inhuman and inconsiderate of the hardship it would bring on the people.Irrespective of these strong opposing views, there has neither been any formal attempt by the 'masses-conscious' governors to tender a formal letter to the Governor's Forum which backed the decision with their full consent to remove the fuel subsidy, nor any collective resolve from their end to enforce their 'reservations' by communicating their rejection of their accruing shares, ahead the sharing of subsidy fund, to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), the implementation body for sharing allocation.Many political pundits have, therefore, insisted that the antics of some of these South-West governors have no significance, as their politically-induced statements were simply not in the best interest of Nigerians. Commenting on the issue, Mr Adebayo Popoola, a businessman in Lagos, had criticised the governors' respective statements, saying that they were only playing to the gallery, while using diversionary tactics and undue politicking to deceive the people.'I am not in support of any of these political parties, but I am shocked at the way and manner some of the South-West governors treated the people on the issue of fuel subsidy. Today, Governor Fashola was against it, tomorrow, he is in Abuja supporting the move. For me, their support for the people on the fuel subsidy is a contempt on the collective interest of the masses. Well, let's see if they will reject the fuel subsidy fund,' he said.While being speculative of the Federal Government to make good its intention for the suffering masses, the businessman, however, praised President Jonathan for his down-to-earth stance, saying 'although I personally have lost faith in governance, President Jonathan, at least, was straight-forward in his decision. It shows courage and a bit of sincerity on the part of the Federal Government. Let us hope he will do as he has promised.'The questions then are, how much can the masses trust many of the state governors, who are yet to break their silence on how the subsidy fund would be made to better the lot of the people. Can the electorate trust the governors, who, according to some sources, have been bestowed with the accolade of a popular Nigerian singer, 2-faced governors.According to reports, apart from the statutory allowances, which ordinarily would serve as the budget for all states, Lagos State would cart home about N20 billion; Oyo 17billion; Ogun 15 billion; Osun 12 billion and Ekiti 11 billion, to be shared with their respective local governments. But if the current trend of local government administration remains the status quo, the state governments would, in fact, have in its possession, at least, two-thirds of the subsidy allocation.With these come some probing questions. Are there any concrete blueprints on how these funds accruable to state governments would be judiciously utilised' If there are, would these governors rightly inform the people' What exactly are the plans of the state government for its people, as far as the subsidy funds are concerned' Also, would the South-West governors rescind on their initial opposing stance on the fuel subsidy' If not, would they, this time round, truly serve the people by making good the much-touted statements of 'delivery the people'' Would they be able to silence their critics and consolidate on the trusted votes of the electorate in the last general election' According to political experts, if the governors are truly sincere in their respective motives, they ought to have come out publicly and take their individual stand on the matter and how they would be accountable in the collective interest of the people. As the Nigerians remain conscious of the stone silence of some of the state governors, it is needless to say that the expectation of the masses from the Federal Government further extends to the state governments. This time round, there is no excuse for the governors.
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