“Nigerians can go to the extreme if…”

Barrister Jitobo Akanike, human rights lawyer

Barrister Jitobo Akanike, human rights lawyer
By Olawale Abideen
You have been actively involved in the protest against removal of fuel subsidy. What informs your participation?
I joined millions of Nigerians against the hike in pump price because of its harsh consequence on the people. The genesis of the problem is not all about removal of fuel subsidy. We got to this problematic stage as a result of our inability to refine our crude. Nigeria is blessed with resources and government fail to utilise it for the betterment of all. For Nigeria to be importing fuel is amazing whereas we have the resource in abundance. Until we learn how to turn this raw material to finished product before we may not have peace. Fuel subsidy arose as a result of government failure to maintain our refineries.
But the problem of subsidy did not start with the Jonathan regime and some analysts believe that someone must be courageous enough to revert the ugly trend?
As a president, Goodluck Jonathan will have access to all information whether historical or otherwise. The president should ask himself how Nigeria arrived at this stage. The president must be able to distinguish between solution that affect the masses negatively and the one that has a positive effect on the people. If we remove subsidy and crumble the economy, the inflation implication will be hard on the citizens. Government says we will suffer the effect for a while and the Eldorado will come later but we cannot see the things that will bring the Eldorado and as well we could see the immediate effect of the subsidy removal. We could smell, feel and touch the aftermath, the hardship and that is why Nigerians are angry. Believe me, the end is not in sight yet unless government rescind its decision.
The government has promised that proceeds from the fuel subsidy will be utilised to build more refineries and a time frame of 24 months was given but some people believe that these will be achieved?
It is very annoying. Sani Abacha brought those people who built Kaduna refinery and till date, Kaduna refinery is not functional. The truth is that our system of refining crude is outdated. Supposing the government tells us to bear the surfering for two years while the refineries undergo construction, it will be different but they are saying they want to bring those who built Warri refinery to maintain it. That is stupidity.
You just said that anything government builds cannot be maintained. Is that not why government proposed the deregulation so as to make the product available at all times?
But it should be thrown open. Let everybody have access to the opportunity to order fuel from anywhere at any price. Then the product will be affordable. I am sure that Jonathan knew from day one he became president of this country that there is a cabal that is absolutely corrupt in the downstream sector but because he wines and dines with them, he failed to deal with them. Is there any cabal that lives above the government or the president is insincere.
If you are the president of this nation, how would you react to the nationwide strike and solve the problem of subsidy?
Cut the frivolous government expenditures, the president should encourage awarding of contract to Nigerians rather than importing everything we need. It is only in Nigeria that a kilometer of road will be built with billions of naira and yet the road gets spoilt the following year.This is because politicians conered contracts to themselves and their cronies. And every year appropriation will be made for the same road because it will never be motorable as a result of corruption.
The argument sometimes is that the transformation must begin now so as to avoid the consequence of inaction in the future?
I said earlier that if the government is sincere, it could embark on construction of refinery and tell the citizens to exercise patience. Now, nobody knows the amount we are earning from crude oil. The other time they wanted to audit the NNPC account, it was stopped. It is not a question of if we don’t refix our country today we’ll suffer for it.
Jonathan was elected on a populist platform and the trust that made Nigerians to vote for him is needed this time to allow him deliver. Don't you think it is not imperative to give him time to work?
You see, Winston Churchill once led the British into a war which he won but the subsequent election after the war, Churchill was voted out of power. That tells you that power belongs to people. If Nigerians voted for Jonathan and today they realised that they have made a mistake, they still have the legitimate power to remove him. The country can also decide to condemn the constitution and sacrifice Jonathan to start afresh. Nigerians can go to the extreme if they are pushed to the wall.