…says it’s wrong to blame opposition for protest
The ongoing mass protest against hardship and hunger has continued to generate comments from opinion leaders in the country. In this interview, a former Director General of the National Orientation Agency ( NOA), Alhaji Idi Farouk, wades into the matter and tells ONWUKA NZESHI that the security agencies have a duty to protect the protesters. He also speaks on alleged attempts to sabotage the Dangote Refinery and other issues
What do you think about the protest against hardship by some Nigerians?
Protest should be allowed because it is a constitutional right of the people. But the issue is that the police must be fully present during the exercise. In fact they should even be more like being part of the protest because it is their responsibility to guide the protesters to where they want to go and how to get there.
Otherwise, as it happened with so many other protests, miscreants and criminals will join the crowd of genuine protesters with the intent to cause confusion, create chaos, destroy and loot people’s property. One thing you should know is that it is the average citizen, for whom they are protesting that might be endangered if the whole thing becomes violent.
The protest is against the government but people in government are protected by security agents. It is the ordinary man driving in his car that usually gets caught in the protest. The window of the car you’re driving could he smashed if it gets violent.
So basically, I have no problem about protest and I believe it should be allowed but security must be provided for the protesters. We have men of the Nigeria Police in every state and they should provide security for the people protesting.
How do you see the response of the government, blaming the opposition and even mentioning names of supposed sponsors?
It is not right to begin to apportion blames and make unsubstantiated allegations against political opponents. We are fond of making allegations in Nigeria.
But if it is true that some people are trying to undermine government, pick them up and let them answer to the charges in a court of law. Otherwise, why are you just throwing the allegations in the air? It could amount to defamation if the person you’re accusing is not the one behind the protest.
So, it is not right. You’re not the security; if there are sponsors of the protest, it is the security that has to say it. Again if you just throw allegations like that without proof, you’re bringing problems to the President.
Are you saying that the Presidential Adviser on Communications and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, got it wrong?
Exactly! He got it wrong. Even if he had any information that could indict certain opposition figures, he should have passed it on to the security agencies which have the duty to make such statements.
But do the security agencies even have to make such statements, when they have the powers to investigate? If they find anyone trying to undermine the government, they can pick him or her up. I don’t believe that Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi or whoever is doing this.
They might be beneficiaries but they are not the ones organising it. Assuming the protest succeeds and a few things are done by the government to assuage the anger of the masses, even we here would be beneficiaries. If the government agrees to do some of the things the protesters are demanding, we will benefit from the protest.
So, I think that government officials should not be making unfounded statements. If indeed you as a government have such information, the right quarters to talk about it is the security agencies. In every state, the commissioner of Police has powers to arrest crime suspects.
We see them parading suspects from time to time. The danger of a Bayo Onanuga making such allegations is that it can only fuel the crisis and give the impression that it was Mr. President that told him to say so. But I do not believe that Tinubu can do that.
How do you see the move by the Federal Government to assuage the anger of the people through palliatives?
We have heard the announcement of palliatives to be given to some people which is neither here nor there. Palliatives should not be about giving 20 trucks of rice to each state and the Federal Capital Territory.
It is meaningless because the modalities for distribution of that rice are not clear. In any case, what can 20 trucks of rice do to the population in Lagos or even Abuja? I would have thought that instead of going that route, the government should have put the money directly in the pockets of the people.
Palliatives should not be about giving 20 trucks of rice to each state and the Federal Capital Territory. It is meaningless because the modalities for distribution of that rice are not clear
How do you mean by putting the money in the pockets of the people?
Pay the money directly into the people’s bank accounts. It is faster and easier to track. It makes for transparency and accountability. What is 20 trucks of rice to a whole state? If you like, bring a shipload of rice to each state, it won’t be enough because it will be stolen along the line and many people will not get it.
They are talking about giving it to the most vulnerable or poorest of the poor but in today’s Nigeria, most of us have been brought into that vulnerable class. If past experiences are anything to go by, this rice will most likely not get to most of the people. Again, somebody must have been given the contract to buy the rice and we all know how it works.
The contractor may buy the rice and in the course of distribution, several trucks could be diverted to other locations where the rice would be sold at exorbitant rates beyond the reach of the people. It can end up in the open market. As a matter of fact, it is very dangerous to the lives of citizens to take 20 trucks of rice to a state. Why do I say so? The trucks are going to ply our very bad roads.
The trucks could be waylaid on the road and it could cause stampede and people can die while struggling to get a bag of rice. If you’re giving truckloads of rice to the states as palliatives, you should be able to tell the states to also provide some additional palliatives to the people.
What’s your reaction to the tactics of summoning traditional rulers to Aso Rock and using them to promote government’s anti- protest narratives?
It’s ridiculous! In fact, as we speak today, I have a small group and we are very keen on getting the National Assembly to define the roles of traditional rulers in the country. So, we have put in a memo to the Constitution Review Committee of the National Assembly, seeking a definitive role for our royal fathers..
For goodness sake, how do we explain a situation where our traditional rulers are being treated like errand boys? Imagine our reverted royal fathers like the Sultan of Sokoto, Ooni of Ife or the Alafin of Oyo being placed under the local government chairmen in their respective domains. Our traditional rulers are the custodians of our culture, traditions and values.
In any case, like it has been proven now, when there is a problem, no matter how big your government is, you’ll invite them and they are the ones that will be able to go out and quell the turmoil. So, if they are that important to the society, why are we not treating them the way we ought to?
What role do you want them to play beyond what they are doing now?
Excuse me! What is beyond what they are doing? Is there anything better than peace? When politicians say we have structure, it means that they have people they can call upon from every strata of the society.
Likewise, every traditional ruler you see has a structure. It starts from the ward if not the street level up to the federal level, meaning that they have a network of people answerable to them. It means that if they have to pass the message of the government, they can get it done easily.
Why is it that during the First and Second Republics the government gave them roles to play but they are now left idle under the current political dispensation? How can you say the Emir of Zaria is under the local government and should go and take permission from the local government chairman if he wants to travel? It is demeaning.
I think that we should understand that to solve our security problems; to solve our hunger problems and so many other problems, the traditional rulers are one of the tools we need and it will be appropriate to give them constitutional roles.
Their position and roles should be mentioned in the Constitution to avoid any ambiguity. All these incidents of governors writing queries to the emirs, using their commissioners for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs is belittling.
How would they fit into the modern power equation?
How does King Charles fit into the modern power equation in England? There are kings all over the world. Why do they keep them as kings in other countries? These are our kings and they deserve our maximum respect.
What do you see from the controversies trailing the Dangote Refinery recently?
You see, the civil servants have a way of having their own way. Of course, everybody will blame President Bola Tinubu because he is the Minister of Petroleum Resources. They may even blame the Minister of State for Petroleum resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, but in truth, the civil servants are the ones in charge.
They know what you and I don’t know about what is going on in the sector. The main parastatal under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources is the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and I think it is still a parastatal under the ministry even though they say it is a now a private limited liability company.
So, there is a great difference between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and that parastatal, NNPC Ltd, as they now call it. It is a sad commentary on Nigeria that we pride ourselves at all occasions to call Aliko Dangote the richest man in Africa. He probably is; I don’t know.
He has investments in many parts of Africa but he chose to build this refinery in his own country. Of course, this is in addition to other investments he has in Nigeria. Whether he got waivers on certain things or not, these investments show that he believes in the country.
When he started building that refinery, everybody has been applauding him and asking: When is it coming on stream? When they were going to commission it; I think President Muhammadu Buhari was there.
This is a refinery that has the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day. We thought that by now, it should have started producing petrol, diesel and other petroleum products to meet our domestic needs and then for export to other countries. Then, suddenly, some civil servants from nowhere are frustrating it.
Clearly, I don’t think that the trouble is coming from the territory of Mr. President and his ministers because I heard and saw on television, the Director General of the Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Commission saying that the imported petroleum products were better than what Dangote Refinery is producing.
How can he say such a thing without any scientific proof? Has he forgotten that the NNPC has a stake in Dangote Refinery? Why do they want to frustrate a business in which they are part owners?
A refinery is not a refinery if it is not refining crude oil and churning out petroleum products. Now, members of the House of Representatives have gone to inspect the Dangote Refinery and found the allegation was wrong. By that unfounded statement, they are sabotaging the business of Dangote Refinery and killing the Nigerian economy.
Investors cannot watch you say such negative things about your own company and you expect them to still invest in your country. Imagine that a staff of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) would tell the public that the products of Dangote Refinery are substandard and that imported petroleum products were better.
This gives credence to the speculation that our refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri can never work because of people like this. I align with members of the National Assembly, who have called for a proper probe of the matter. We cannot continue to be shooting ourselves in the foot. So, this is the time for Mr. President to act.
The investment in Dangote Refinery is so huge and we must be seen to be encouraging our own people. Assuming that the sulphur and octane levels are high; it is the responsibility of NMDPRA as the regulatory agency to advise accordingly on what should be done to bring it to the grade of fuel that we use. So, I think that Mr. President should act and probe the industry.
Before the controversy over quality of its products, authorities at the Dangote Refinery had raised the alarm that International Oil Companies (IOCs) were frustrating the company in terms of access to crude oil. What do you have to say on this?
The crude you’re talking about is our crude oil. How can the IOCs frustrate a Nigerian businessman who has built a mega refinery in his own country?
How can they frustrate him if not with the connivance of our own people in the oil industry”The IOCs don’t own the oil; they don’t allocate crude oil; they only produce and sell the quantity allocated to them in their Joint Venture Contract( JVC) with the NNPC. The truth is that if they frustrate the Dangote Refinery, it is not their fault.
It is because there are insiders within the sector, Nigerians like you and I, who have chosen to frustrate one of the biggest investments we have in Nigeria today for their own selfish ends. Like I said earlier, the President should take action against these saboteurs because the buck stops on his table.
Assuming without conceding that the frustration is coming from within; why do you think this kind of a thing is happening?
The truth is that what is happening to the investments of Aliko Dangote is just an eye opener as to why all our four refineries are not working.
They won’t just let them work, so that Nigeria will continue to import petroleum products. We hear that the NNPC had deployed $1.6 million to the rehabilitation or refurbishment of the Port Harcourt Refinery. Last year, they promised the work will be completed and that the refinery will resume production in 2024.
Since the year began, we’ve had several promises on the resumption and different dates have been bandied yet it is not working. Nobody has asked: What about the $1.6 million? Again, I ask the President to act.
What has happened to the 20 per cent equity Nigeria acquired in Dangote Refinery?
But you heard from Aliko Dangote himself that we don’t have 20 per cent again. We have only about 7.5 percent or so. If monies have also been removed or stolen by this transaction, it means that the President should act.
You seem to be throwing so much at the doorsteps of the President; do you think he has the time to step into all these issues?
He should have time for them because it is his responsibility to ensure that the right things are done under his watch as president as well as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
It is a call to duty because they think that holding the Petroleum Ministry means holding the NNPC, but it doesn’t as it is being proven now. You know that the parastatals operate like independent entities running the show, while the ministry concentrates on policies.
Do you buy the idea that the President should relinquish the Petroleum portfolio and assign a competent hand to handle it since he doesn’t have the time?
There is no person more competent that the President who is the head of the administration. The truth is that anybody you put there will be frustrated by the NNPC officials, who are the people running the oil industry.
So, let the President look at what they are doing. I recall that when President Tinubu came up with the removal of fuel subsidy, which I endorsed, and I will tell you why, I heard NNPC saying that it is owed some huge amount of money.
I can’t remember exactly the figures. Why I agree with subsidy removal is because the people who are collecting it are faceless. We are only feathering the nest of some privileged people in the society.
I’m not an expert in Petroleum Affairs, but I know that if you’re talking about subsidy, if something costs you N5 and you want people to come and buy at a subsidised rate, you can sell it at N2. It means you’re subsidising it with N3 because you will still buy it at N5.
The subsidy removal was hailed as a master stroke but today, Nigerians have become worse off. What is responsible for that?
I think the Federal Government has been doing its own part in the bargain. If the state governments have been doing their own part, I believe that we would not have seen the level of poverty that we have today.
So, I call on Mr. President to channel the money realised from the removal of subsidy to specific projects that will benefit the people because he didn’t remove the fuel subsidy, so that we would subsidise the luxury and taste of state officials.
If he doesn’t, everybody will be suffering and calling on him to come to their aid. Since I believe in the removal of subsidy, I thought that the money was going to be deployed to programmes that will cushion the impact of the policy on the people.
When the then Head of State, General Sani Abacha removed fuel subsidy, he created the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) to harvest the proceeds and use it to intervene in so many sectors.
PTF was applauded by Nigerians because they saw what the government was doing with their money. Likewise, during the President Goodluck Jonathan era; he removed fuel subsidy and created the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE- P) to utilise the proceeds to the benefit of the people.
Under the current government, there is no such agency or programme to oversee the utilisation of the money realized from the removal of fuel subsidy.
During the Jonathan era it was people in government today that insisted that an agency like SURE- P must be set up . Why do you think this government chose not to set up a structure to administer the proceeds of the fuel subsidy removal?
I wouldn’t know because you know that when you are not in government, you wouldn’t see what the president sees. When you’re outside government, you can talk about anything and say, when I get there, I will do this or do that. But it is when you get there that you will see the true situation.
You might get there and meet a situation that might even overwhelm you and I think that is what has happened now. The government of today has chosen to give the proceeds of fuel subsidy to the states through increased monthly allocation. This means that if your normal monthly allocation was N10,000, you might get as much as N15,000 now.
Having given them that extra fund, the President should have given them directives as to what and what they should use the money for to ensure that it gets to the people. Or better still, he should have requested from them, what and what they intend to do for the people as palliatives with this sum.
Does this administration not aware that once allocations are given to the states, the Federal Government doesn’t have the right to tell them what to do with the money?
No! In this case, the President can ask what they want to do or are doing with the money. Yes, the money could have been put in a fund like the PTF or SURE-P but everybody has his own style.
PTF is one approach to using the money realised from subsidy but there are other approaches. Don’t forget that most of the states are also impoverished and their normal monthly allocation has not been enough to meet their needs.
So, converting the proceeds of the fuel subsidy into increased monthly allocation is also not a bad idea. But the President should have been able to supervise the usage of that extra fund given to the states.