File: Fuel queues

The Nigerian Constitution says fundamentally that the preoccupation of government shall be the welfare of the people. Even in the West where we borrowed capitalism, it wears human face of welfare and subsidies of fundamental needs like health, education, agricultural inputs and all.

However, the case of Nigeria is different. Jesus once asked his disciples, which among you will give his son stone if he asked for bread? Those who govern us here seem to buy the idea of Rehoboam’s friends who preferred to chastise the people with scorpions!

And so, people of Israel came to beg Rehoboam to reduce their labour in his new dispensation. Reason: Solomon, his father taxed them, made them to hew wood, cut stones and fetch water to build a humongous temple for God.

Not knowing the answer he would give the people, Rehoboam approached the elders who advised that he should actually reduce the people’s burden. Not satisfied, the young king, Rehoboam, made a beeline for his friends. They counseled him to tell the people: “My father beat you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpion”. That was the advise he gave the people.

Thus, in 1 Kings 12, “When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king: ‘What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse’s son? To your tents, Israel! Look after your own house, David!’So the Israelites went home.”

In other words, the kingdom of Israel was one before but after the death of King Solomon, it divided into Judah (with capital in Jerusalem ) and Israel (with seat of the king in Samaria). When leaders rule well, they get the loyalty of their subjects.

For Nigeria, which produces oil, it has been a history of hardship of fuel price hikes and scarcity with a total of 26 price reviews by 12 administrations in the last 44 years!

A History of (PMS) Petrol Pricing in Nigeria (price per liter)

Gowon-1973: 6k to 8.45k

Murtala-1976: 8.45k to 9k

Obasanjo -Oct 1,1978: 9k to 15.3k

Shagari-Apr 20,1982: 15.3k to 20k

Babangida-Mar 31, 1986: 20k to 39.5k

Babangida-Apr 10, 1988: 39.5k to 42k

Babangida-Jan 1, 1989: 42k to 60k(Private Vehicles)

Babangida- Mar 6, 1991: 60k to70k

Shonekan(82 days in power) -Nov 8, 1993: 70k to N5

Abacha- Nov 22, 1993: N5 to N3.25k(price dropped)

Abacha-Oct 2, 1994: N3.25k to N15

Abacha-Oct 4, 1994: N15 to N11 (price dropped)

Abubakar-Dec 20, 1998: N11 toN25

Abubakar-Jan 6,1999: N25 to N20(price dropped)

Obasanjo -June 1, 2000: N20 to N30

Obasanjo-June 8, 2000: N30 to N22(price drops)

Obasanjo-Jan 1, 2002: N22 to N26

Obasanjo-june, 2003: N26 to N42

Obasanjo-May 29, 2004: N42 to N50

Obasanjo-Aug 25, 2004: N50 to N65

Obasanjo-May 27, 2007: N65 to N75

Yar’ Adua-June, 2007: back to N65 (price drops)

Jonathan (New year present) -Jan 1,2012: N141

GEJ (Labour strike forced him) -Jan 17, 2012: N97

Jonathan (Feb, 2015 – two weeks to the 2015 Election): N87

Buhari from N87 to N145 on Wednesday, May 11, 2016.

Where will the current crisis end? Another fuel price hike, now that marketers are saying the landing cost is N171 and the fixed pump head price is N145? Is this not deja vu?

Also read:

https://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2017/12/fuel-crisis-marketers-raise-issue-of-price-increase-or-subsidy/