EMEKA NZE runs the recent controversial interview granted journalists by Hon Duke Orok who called for the sack of Prof Bolaji Akiyemi, deputy chairman of the national conference. The conference frowned at it and rather than apologising, the delegate denied granting the interview
My grouse at today’s plenary
Prof Akinyemi has an agenda; we want to expose him; let him tell us what he is playing at. The other day, one side overwhelmingly got the vote in favour of the people who voted “yes” and Dr Bello Mohammed stood up and called for division. He adjourned because we got the votes on the issue about development of inland port that it should be put in the concurrent list and we got it, he ruled and he called for division. That’s insulting to some of us; I have been making laws for 16 years as a presiding officer and all. So for him to sit down, he’s never gone to parliament, he has never been elected in any capacity to deprive me, to block me from calling for division which will then prove as to who is right or wrong, that means he has an agenda and I am calling on the president to remove Prof Akinyemi because I observe the chairman is not saying anything. He hands over to Akinyemi who now muddles up the whole thing so that he will spoil this conference.
Any petition to that effect?
I am saying it here because we will give him some time to continue blundering so that we know what to do. We are going to write a petition that he is not capable of presiding over this conference. Akinyemi himself has no business presiding when there is a chairman. The chairman should do his work; he’s doing a very fine job. Each time he hands over to Akinyemi we always run into troubled waters. Akinyemi has never ever participated in things like this, so teaching an old man how to use left hand in old age is very wrong, he will keep on blundering.
Is it because he didn’t hear you out?
No. Hear me out? There is a procedure, If there is a vote you are not satisfied with, no matter who you are, you must be given the right of division to be called for them to determine whether you are right or wrong and that is my right here in this conference. For even one person to be deprived of that right is bad enough, that means we are heading the wrong way. We should now call… we should not wait until it blows up.
Look at the issue of pilgrimage, they brought the motion, let us see what happens. We have voted and the rule says when the matter is not concluded it should be rolled over to the next day and be continued, not stopped and another motion introduced. We voted on it . The whole thing is this, we first and foremost voted that government should not spend a kobo, that motion passed. Then another thing came up that would warrant government to spend one kobo, everything about spending of money would have collapsed with that first motion. So the issue of pilgrimage board, Hajj Board is rubbish, even though we voted and they lost, because so many of them make so much money from this.
You wanted an adjournment today?
No, I did not. I wanted a division. Let me tell you what happens in this Hajj thing. People make their money from hajj. Once upon a time, some years ago, 740 chairmen in this country approached the American Embassy that they wanted to go to US for a conference for 5 days. They went to American Embassy that each of them had N10million for the trip. They considered 10 million times 740, that was about N7.4 billion. They said in 5 days we make N7.4 billion from Nigeria, they denied all of them Visa. Hajj has somewhat 240, 000 people leave the country at any particular time, even if it is one or two million per person, multiply that by 250, 000 people. So that is what government has been spending, that is how people are feeding fat. You see this thing about four families enjoying 2 trillion. We are four, the common man on the street enjoy too but not for the family of four to take N2 trillion, it is that bad,. We in Calabar we don’t buy petrol at N97, it doesn’t matter. You see the money does not go to the common man, the ordinary man on the street. We have PZ, we have tank plants like Sahara Oil and all that, they bring the fuel in, keep them there for three weeks till the voucher clears in the treasury, then they sell at demanding prices say N60, government department N30, so they sell at N97. They bring it out after collecting government money and still sell it at N120. You want me to mention names, who don’t know that Otedola and the rest are milking…; they are killing out of the system.
Proposal to remove subsidy within three years
There is no guarantee. But you see I want any particular government, that’s why I proposed 5 years, any particular government that is place will be able to start and finish the three years that the government will likely be elected for four years. So let that particular government start and finish the process. Let it not spill over to another government because they might need to start afresh or they might need something to blunder what has been started. So if they put in three four years, that government will start and finish it. We are not ready to punish anybody; we are ready to compromise as far as the best largesse goes to the common man on the street. What we are saying is that if you bring modular refineries, refineries could be assembled and dismantled at Hilton Hotel here. So if you want to get modular refineries, you can get and refine. Nigeria pushes out 450,000 barrels a day for local consumption. They were selling before at 9 dollars, Obasanjo came and pushed it to 12 dollars, after a while, he said people were stealing it, buy it at the price that is available at the international market.
When you bring it in and you say you are augmenting, there is no subsidy, really because Nigeria donates. It used to be 350,000 barrels a day, but they now use 450,000 barrels a day. Whatever you sell bring in fuel for the people to buy, the landing cost is N58 to N60. You said you even sell at little profit like N97; you sell it at 140, Ogoja they buy 160, which one goes to the common man as you are saying? The people who consume most are still government people. The rich man consumes more because the poor man, any driver, any amount you sell, he transfers it to the passenger so he doesn’t lose. So the rich people are the ones subsidized.
Why can’t government go after those who collect this subsidy?
The truth is that, I must come here to say that people gain politically from the criminally gotten fund. I’m PDP, hard core, I was the convener but I am telling you that people use the extra fraudulent largesse to fund political activities.
