An enormous barrage of reactions has trailed the announcement of the removal of subsidy by the Federal Government.
On January 1, 2012, the administration of Goodluck Jonathan announced the removal of fuel subsidy for the first time.
Subsequent to the announcement, the whole country cried foul and took to the streets in an #OccupyNaija protest which saw hundreds of millions of Nigerians demanding that the government returned the removed subsidy.
The government, incapacitated by the sheer volume of the protesters caved in and granted the masses their wishes.
Now, in 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has called off the subsidy regime despite the knowledge of the attendant untold hardship and suffering it would effect on the masses.
In a series of tweets, @cchukudebelu, who is known for influential Twitter commentary, accuses the #OccupyNaija protesters of hypocrisy, explaining that the removal of subsidy by Goodluck’s administration was the best policy for the country in 2012 but the protesters for illogical reasons chose to go against it.
See his tweets below, and they capture the sentiments of those who see hypocrisy everywhere today.
The great thing is this
"Jonathan" will cease to be the major topic soon, we will assess this administration on its OWN performance.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Poor Nigerians will ask Buhari
"If you were going to raise pump prices, why did you let us suffer fuel scarcity for 6 months"
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
I look forward to debating good and bad policy without resorting to "Jonathan".
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Poor Nigerians will ask Buhari
"If you were going to raise pump prices, why did you let us suffer fuel scarcity for 6 months"
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Any policy that results in >6 months of fuel scarcity is a bad policy & the responsible administration should pay the political price.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
If Jonathan was super competent, Buhari would never have been elected, so "Jonathan" should not be an excuse for bad policy.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
If a business is doing badly, you bring in a new CEO – who should spend his time growing the business, not blaming the former CEO.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Of course, I will criticize this administration.
This is a democracy, I have the right to do so.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Using their logic, the last administration had no right to reform the fertilizer subsidy regime because it was mired in GRAND CORRUPTION.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Nobody, not even a Nobel Prize winning economist, can convince me that removal of fuel subsidies in 2012 was a bad idea.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Policies should be assessed based on their merits, not on whether you like or hate Jonathan/Buhari.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
"Jonathan" won't be the issue in 2019
I'm just one of the first to say this.
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
I don't assume it is neutral. I'm just saying that "Govt is corrupt" is not a convincing reason to keep subsidies. https://t.co/ZwAYeE5VDG
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) May 11, 2016
Anyone disagree?
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