- PMS Pump Price Likely To Go Up Again As Buhari Makes Case For Further Adjustment
President Muhammadu Buhari in his independence day address, Thursday, confronted Nigeria’s inherent albatross since inception — ethnic jingoism and the overzealous attention often paid to the nation’s traditional fault lines, describing them as the architect of Nigeria’s stunted development.
He traced Nigeria’s decades of uneven growth to unbridled corruption, checkered history of civil war and military incursions aided by certain stereotypes along ethnic and religious beliefs among citizens.
Buhari in his address, said the epoch making occasion of Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary presents the opportunity for citizens to have a collective rethink on the nation’s missteps, with a view to correct the many anomalies.
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“Sixty years of nationhood provides an opportunity to ask ourselves questions on the extent to which we have sustained the aspirations of our founding fathers. Where did we do the right things? Are we on course? If not where did we stray and how can we remedy and retrace our steps?
“Upon attaining independence, Nigeria’s growth trajectory was anchored on policies and programmes that positively impacted on all sectors of the economy. However, this journey was cut short by the 30-months of civil war.”
“An underlying cause of most of the problems we have faced as a nation is our consistent harping on artificially contrived fault-lines that we have harboured and allowed unnecessarily to fester.
“In addition, institutions such as civil service, police, the judiciary, the military all suffered from a general decline,” the President said.
Whereas, many socio-cultural and religious groups across Nigeria have argued that the fault lines the President hopes to erase are becoming deepened under his administration, Buhari said: “We need to begin a sincere process of national healing and this anniversary presents a genuine opportunity to eliminate old and outworn perceptions that are always put to test in the lie they always are.”
The President urged Nigerians to jettison ethnic and religious stereotypes and embrace national brotherhood, saying Nigeria’s greatest asset is her people.
“The stereotype of thinking of ourselves as coming from one part of the country before seeing ourselves as Nigerians is a key starting point to project us on the road to our deserved nation’s evolution and integration.
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“To start this healing process, we are already blessed with the most important asset any nation requires for such – OUR PEOPLE – and this has manifested globally in the exploits of Nigerians in many fields.
“It has been demonstrated time and time again that Nigerians in the diaspora frequently excel in science, technology, medicine, sports, arts and many other fields. Similarly, the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Nigerian at home has resulted in globally recognized endeavours.
“I am convinced that if we pursue our aspirations TOGETHER we would be able to achieve whatever we desire. That informed our adopting the theme TOGETHER to mark this epochal event.
“Together we can change our condition for the better and more importantly together we can do much more for ourselves and for our country.
“I chose the path of self-reflection because this is what I do on a daily basis and I must confess that at most times, I always felt the need for a collective reflection as I know that the foundation for a solid future which this administration is laying can only be sustainable if there is a collective commitment by Nigerians.
“Nigeria is not a country for Mr President, any ruling or opposition party but a country for all of us and we must play our part, irrespective of challenges we face, to make this country what we desire.” He said.
Meanwhile, as President Buhari rallied citizens towards national cohesion, he dropped an independence day bombshell, hinting that the petrol prices are likely to go up from the current N161 it’s being sold for, following the recent increase that has sparked protest.
Even though he didn’t announce any price adjustment, he drew comparison with other oil producing nations in Africa and the middle east, attempting to put Nigeria’s lower pump rate in perspective.
Buhari in the speech sounded a notice to Nigerians and Labour unions on the critical decisions that his government must make as the country’s economy continues to struggle with the debilitating effects of the Covid-19 crisis.
“In the circumstances, a responsible government must face realities and take tough decisions.
“Petroleum prices in Nigeria are to be adjusted. We sell now at N161 per litre. A comparison with our neighbours will illustrate the point;
“Chad which is an oil producing country charges N362 per litre.
“Niger, also an oil producing country sells 1 litre at N346.
“In Ghana, another oil producing country, petroleum pump price is N326 per litre.
“Further afield, Egypt charges N211 per litre. Saudi Arabia charges N168 per litre. It makes no sense for oil to be cheaper in Nigeria than in Saudi Arabia”, Buhari said.
“No government in the past did what we are doing with such scarce resources. We have managed to keep things going in spite of the disproportionate spending on security,” Buhari said.
