AN EPISTLE TO THE RELIGIOUS BIGOTS ON 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS

AN EPISTLE TO THE RELIGIOUS BIGOTS ON 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS

I greet you all in the name of LORD.

Let me also use this medium to welcome you into year 2015, a very essential year where the nation will decide on the leadership that will take charge of the treasury and policy for the next 4 years. The eligible voters will decide the kind of leaders that will be in charge of the affairs of the country's wealth.

Nigeria - A country we can truly call our own, the country of good people great Nation, but unfortunately the “great people” still base their judgement and preference of candidate on religion sentiment.  Using the word of Pastor Gabriel Olalekan Popoola of Living Faith Church, “Politicians’ desperate appeals to religion are as sort of last line of hope when confronted with firm failure is at once ubiquitous in nature and repetitive historically. Ordinarily politicians ought not to be thugs and rogues; they ought to be leaders chosen by the larger society to administer the land on behalf of all members of the given society. The constitution and other extant laws of the land make that otherwise difficult administrative job a very easy one. Unfortunately, as event have revealed over the years, particular in our nation Nigeria, politicians, because of their materialism and acquisitiveness, are more of problem-creators than problem-solvers. They fail again and again where they should have succeeded; they steal where they should have not stolen; they lie where simple truth should have been told; and they deceive where acting in a straightforward manner would have sufficed. This is the tragic situation of our shameless and dishonourable politicians in Nigeria. Then when it becomes certain that the failed leader is about to be thrown out of office, having incurred the justifiable anger of the electorate, he suddenly begins to appeal to religion. He claim that he is a Christian or Muslim; he openly identifies with some religious leaders of his proclaim faith, and in turn, expects all adherents of the faith he bogusly lays claim to, to support him. And this is just for political benefit.”

 This is the kind of politics we practice in Nigeria, politics base on religion sentiment. No wonder why Karl Marx explains religion as an expression of material realities and economic injustice. The problems in religion are ultimately problems in society like that of Nigeria. Religion is not really the disease, but merely a symptom. It is used by oppressor to make people feel better about distress they experience due to the economic hardship and being exploited by some selfish people. This is the Origin of Karl’s comment that religion is the “Opium of the masses”.

Although religion and politics cannot be separated from the society as they are both from the products of the society, however our choice of candidates shouldn’t be based on the kind of religion the aspirants or candidates practice. Nobody ever asks the religion of the Pilot in the aircraft, what the passenger is interested in knowing is “if the Pilot is good or not.” Our selection should be based on the credibility and antecedent of the candidates. Religion, as one of the systems of Social Institution has contributed many developments to the social structure of Nigeria at large, but should our moral judgement be based on religious sentiment? Should we be brainwashed by religion sentiment in voting the right candidate into power!

I am not trying to use this platform to support and canvass for vote for a particular candidate. Political candidates could be compared to product brands that a marketer tries to market to prospective buyer to purchase, it is now left for the prospective buyer to reject or accept the brand. He or She accepting the brand should accept it by choice and not by force. It should be based on the attitude you have or inferred from the product. The products the politicians try to market to the electorate now is their various candidates. Politics is all about ideology, one man’s food is another man’s poison. The candidate I like might be the one you don’t want to see or hear his/her name talk less of casting your vote for the person. It is just like the two side of a drum, while one side faces your front, the other faces back. We shouldn’t cast our vote base on religious bias. In this coming election, our focuses should be on what the aspirants aspiring for that position has done before for the society and what they plan to offer when given the mandate. They should be voted to power base on the programmes promised to do to the citizenry. We should have grown and matured beyond politics of “he is from my faith”. Some are of the opinion that there is a gulf distinction between the “Religion and Spiritual,” but can religion be separated from spirituality?

I could remember when a prestigious Federal University in Nigeria had a Students’ Union election, the aftermath of the election would have been very credible but an influencer in one of the Religious Organisation sent a bulk sent messages to all his members of the organisation to vote for a particular candidate because he is from their faith. Something of such also happened in a hall of residence in the same school when the leader of a religious body during a morning prayer attacked the personality of other candidates in other to favours his. Is that even how the religions we use to “cover” our face teach us to practise politics? Enough of politics base of calumny let the aspirant win on a clean ground. The society evolve from the simple to the complex, I wonder the kind of rotten politics we still practice in this 21^st century. Well, am not surprised because it is what the parents do that the children will imbibe from.

I will urge all eligible voters to register and get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) from INEC. This PVC is the power they can use to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice. Your vote is your civic right and a way of contributing your own quota to the society by chosen the right candidate to govern you. Vote with your moral sense of right and wrong, do not sell your vote because of immediate gratification. Selling your vote is synonymous to selling your future. Your PVC is a powerful weapon, use it rightly.

Let me end on this note, 1 Timothy 2 verse 1-4 says

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;  For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”  Amen.

I wish you a Successful 2015.

You are blessed!!!

 

Ayokunmi-Solomon Jimoh

President/Initiator, The Immaculate Team

07034586467

@apostleayoks

BBM: 55865408

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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WHO IS FOOLING WHO?

WHO IS FOOLING WHO?

One of the factors that encouraged my failed attempt at studying Medicine at the University is my passionate dislike for mathematics. I literarily can’t stand numbers and the magic that comes with mathematical procedures. But President Goodluck Jonathan in his infinite capacity for the miraculous sent me back to school for extra classes in Basic Arithmetic on Tuesday 11th December when I read a report that the President had made a request to the National Assembly for a Supplementary amount of N161 billion as fuel subsidy payment for the remaining three weeks in this year as, according to him, the original N881 billion budgeted for that purpose for the whole of the year had been exhausted.

Now, there is no reason to suspect our dear President of falsehood, but the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had on October 21 said the N888 billion allocated for subsidy payments in the 2012 budget should be enough to pay petroleum product importers and that government might not need supplementary appropriation for subsidy payments in 2012. So I thought maybe Mr. President had been misled, yet again, by his retinue of ineffective, over-paid aides into submitting a supplementary budget request for the wrong purpose, or maybe there was a typographic error on the request paper and Mr. Jonathan meant to ask for N16.1 billion, or N1.61 billion. Anyway, I brought out my calculator to crunch some numbers to see where lays the error.

Just so you know how big N161 billion is, at least in budgetary terms, consider how it compares to some selected allocations in the 2013 Budget Proposal presented by President Goodluck Jonathan to the National Assembly some weeks back:

The N161 billion for 3 weeks fuel subsidy is: almost twice the total allocation for Agriculture in 2013 (N81 billion times 2 = N162 billion); more than twice the total allocation for Power in 2013 (N74 billion times 2 = N148 billion); more than thrice the total allocation for Water Resources in 2013 (N47 billion times 3 = N141 billion); more than twice the capital allocation for Education in 2013 (N60 billion times 2 = N120 billion); almost thrice the capital allocation for Health in 2013 (N55 billion times 3 = N165 billion); more than the capital allocation for Works in 2013 (N151 billion); more than twice the total allocation for Niger Delta in 2013 (N63 billion times 2 = N126 billion).

The N161 billion for 3 weeks fuel subsidy is more than twice the Statutory Transfer for Universal Basic Education in 2013 (N72 billion times 2 = 144 billion); more than twice the Statutory Transfer for Niger-Delta Development Commission in 2013 (N57 billion times 2 = N114 billion), more than the Statutory Transfer for the National Assembly in 2013 (N150 billion). Indeed, the N161 billion for 3 weeks fuel subsidy is more than the sum total of the 2013 total allocation for Science and Technology (N31 billion), Mines and Steel (N13 billion), Environment (N21 billion), Lands and Housing (N24 billion); Aviation (N53 billion) (sum total = N141 billion).

Now that we know just how big the additional N161 billion Mr. President is asking for is, please follow me diligently as we go through the arithmetic of year 2012 fuel subsidy payments. Please note that some of the figures used here are approximates.

First let’s go through the basics:

There are 52 weeks in year 2012, out of which we have spent 49 weeks, with 3 weeks left.

So far, we have spent N881 billion on fuel subsidy for 49 weeks, which translates into about N18 billion per week, N2.6 billion per day, N107 million per hour, N1.8 million per minute.

According to Mr. President, we need an additional N161 billion to pay for fuel subsidy for the remaining 3 weeks in the year, which translates into about N53.7 billion per week, N7.7 billion per day, N319 million per hour, N5.3 million per minute.

How much is fuel subsidy?

On January 1st 2012 when the government of Goodluck Jonathan decided to completely remove subsidy on fuel, one litre of PMS sold for N141. After the OccupyNigeria nationwide protests and help from Labour Unions, government agreed to a partial subsidy regime, with PMS to sell for N97 per litre. This means that actual subsidy on one litre of PMS is N44 (N141 minus N97).

How much fuel can we subsidize with N881 billion?

How many litres of fuel can we subsidize with N881 billion at the rate of N44 subsidy per litre?

N881 billion divided by N44 = 20 billion litres.

So the federal government has used N881 billion to, benevolently, subsidize 20 billion litres of fuel between January and now, which puts consumption at 20 billion litres in 49 weeks, 408 million litres per week, N58 million litres per day, 2.5 million litres per hour.

How much fuel can we subsidize with N161 billion?

So how many litres of fuel can we subsidize with N161 billion at the rate of N44 subsidy per litre?

N161 billion divided by N44 = 3.7 billion litres.

So the federal government is going to use N161 billion to, benevolently, subsidize 3.7 billion litres of fuel between now and the end of the year, which puts projected consumption at 3.7 billion litres in 3 weeks, 1.2 billion litres per week, 174 million litres per day, 7.3 million litres per hour.

So government estimates that Nigerians are going to consume three times more fuel in the next three weeks than they did at any point during the past 49 weeks.

How much is fuel subsidy for the entire year?

If the National Assembly approves the N161 billion Fuel Subsidy Supplementary Budget request as made by Goodluck Jonathan, total amount spent on fuel subsidy in year 2012 would be:

Amount spent on fuel subsidy for 49 weeks (N881 billion) plus Amount to be spent on fuel subsidy for 3 weeks (N161 billion) = N1.042 trillion

N1.042 trillion spent on fuel subsidy in 52 weeks translates into about N20 billion per week, N2.85 billion per day, N119 million per hour, N2 million per minute.

How much fuel can we subsidize with N1.042 trillion?

So how many litres of fuel can we subsidize with N1.042 trillion at the rate of N44 subsidy per litre?

N1.042 trillion divided by N44 = 23.7 billion litres.

So the federal government is going to use N1.042 trillion to, benevolently, subsidize 23.7 billion litres of fuel for the whole of year 2012, which puts consumption at 23.7 billion litres in 52 weeks, 455 million litres per week, 65 million litres per day, 2.7 million litres per hour.

How much fuel do Nigerians actually consume per day?

The answer to this question depends on the source you consult. According to Mr. Enoch Kenawa, the Secretary of the Oil Marketers Association, it is 35 million litres per day; according to Mr. Reginald Stanley, the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Nigeria imports 59 million litres of fuel per day, but Nigerians only consume 35 million litres, while the remaining 24 million litres are unaccounted for; while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation puts national daily consumption figures between 30 and 33 million litres.

So we can safely assume Nigerians consume 35 million litres of fuel per day, which translates into about 245 million litres per week and about 13 billion litres for the entire year.

Subsidy figures based on national daily consumption:

If Nigerians consume 35 million litres of fuel per day, and government pays a subsidy of N44 on each litre:

Subsidy payment per day: 35 million litres times N44 = N1.54 billion per day

Subsidy payment per week: 35 million litres times N44 times 7 = N10.8 billion

Subsidy payment for 3 weeks: 35 million litres times N44 times 7 times 3 = N32.3 billion

Subsidy payment for 49 weeks: 35 million litres times N44 times 7 times 49 = N528 billion

Subsidy payment for a year: 35 million litres times N44 times times 365 = N562 billion

* Please note that the combined daily fuel productions of Nigeria’s four refineries, which are not subsidized, were ignored in this calculation to avoid complications.

* Also note that fuel was not subsidized for the first 3 weeks of year 2012.

Summary:

The federal government claims to have spent N881 on fuel subsidy for the past 49 weeks when in fact that actual amount should be N528 billion

The federal government proposes to spend N161 billion on fuel subsidy for the next 3 weeks when the actual amount should be N32.3 billion

If request for supplementary fund is granted, the federal government would spend a total of N1.042 trillion on fuel subsidy in year 2012 when the actual amount should be just about half of that (N562 billion).

The difference between government’s claims and actual amount is: N480 billion. Haven taken you through the rigours of how big, in budgetary terms, N161 billion is, I won’t take you through that stress for N480 billion. But do note that N480 billion is almost 3 times N161 billion.

Every single day in year 2012, for all of the 365 days in the year, including public holidays, and Sabbaath days which God asked us to keep holy, Goodluck Jonathan is short-changing Nigerians to the tune of N1.3 billion. N1.3 billion disappears from the coffers of the nation, goes into the pockets of the croonies of the criminals in power, and someone somewhere writes on that monumnetal fraud: Fuel Subsidy!

Every single hour in year 2012, N55 million disappears under the government of Goodluck Jonathan. Mr. President has installed an Automated Looting Machine into the cashware of the nation’s finances., he called it Fuel Subsidy. The machine dispenses N55 million every hour, almost N1 million per minute, round the clock. And that machine is about to get really busy in the next three weeks, if the National Assembly rubberstamps that N161 billion request.

Mr. President has declared an end of the year bonanza for his friends, it would cost the nation N161 billion.

Closing:

In closing, I bring you the words of Mr. Enoch Kenawa, the Secretary of the Oil Marketers Association via the Punch, he said: “We have said it continuously in the past that the N888bn fuel subsidy budget for 2012 was inadequate but the finance minister has been proving stubborn and deceiving Nigerians that the amount would be enough. We have been in this business for a long time and we know what the trends are. I am happy that our position has been justified. We are calling on the National Assembly to quickly pass request of the President so that supply of products can increase. Once the money is approved, Nigerians are assured of a good holiday period to ensure adequate supply of fuel during Christmas.”

There,
brethren, is the handwriting on the wall, in bold letters for all to see.

By Ogunyemi Bukola

Secret of Success