Opinion

Fuel Subsidy Scam: Should FG Adopt Report?

Published

14 years ago

April 30, 2012

The Farouk Lawan-led House of Representatives Probe Committee on fuel subsidy recently submitted its report to the Presidency which indicted some major oil companies and highly-placed Nigerians, including top politicians.

Our Staff Writer, Calista Ezeaku and Photographer, Dele Obinna, went round the city to seek people’s opinion on whether or not Federal Government should adopt the report. Their response:

Prince Emmanuel Ogba, Niger Delta Youth

Coalition

I think the report should be fully implemented by the federal Government. But the issue of dragging the Minister of Petroleum, Dizeiani Allison-Maduke, into it is very wrong. They are just trying to rubbish her name because right from the onset, she was the one kicking against subsidy. She was the one that made Nigerians know that the money being spent on fuel subsidy was much, revealing that there was a certain cabal benefiting from that. So they should not rope her in because she insisted that they should do away with subsidy.

That is very wrong because she is the only person we have there in the Petroleum sector. And being a Minister of the Niger Delta, she cannot sabotage her people.

I’m not trying to defend her because she is from the Niger Delta, if she was from the North I will say the same thing.

But if at the end of the day she is found guilty, she should face the penalty. The Niger Delta Youth Coalition is coming up with a protest in favour of Dizieani on Wednesday.

Dizieani was not indicted in that report, so they should not rope her in. The House of Representatives want to rope her in but from the report from the NNPC, she was not involved in all those things they are talking about.

So the federal government should adopt the report and the companies and individual, indicted should be prosecuted.

Mr. Koshi John – Media Worker. Yes, the report should be adopted because the way I look at the law makers, they are fighting for the masses. The other way round, I look at it from the angle of government not being willing to make effort to see that the masses benefit from the natural gift from God, because the removal of subsidy on fuel early this year, has affected every aspect of our life. And the worst part of it is that the money realised from this is being shared by just a few group of people, without the general people seeing the benefits of the fuel subsidy removal.

So, the report should be adopted because that was what the committee was set up to do. The report should be adopted immediately and all the people indicted should be brought to book. They should be prosecuted because this is something that is causing serious damage to the country.

Proper action should be taken on them so that other people watching them, should not be found doing the same thing tomorrow. Nobody indicted in that report should be excluded just because he is from Niger Delta or whatever. Once anybody is found guilty, he should be brought to book.

But can federal government adopt the report and prosecute the indicted persons? That is where Nigerians are discouraged. The fact is that we don’t even have confidence in them (those in government) any more. In Nigeria, only the common man is always brought to book. That is why, when we heard about James Ibori’s judgment in London, we were very excited. And how I wish that could be done here in Nigeria. Government officials embezzle public funds, saving the money for their generations yet unborn, while the people who own the money are suffering and they are watching the masses languishing in poverty.

So, to me, the people indicted in the report even deserve death sentence. When the fuel subsidy was removed in January many people resigned from their working places because the cost of transportation became higher than their salaries.

And when you resign there is nothing for you to do to earn a living and some of such people were committing murder, sad enough a few people are benefiting from the system. So they (the indicted persons) should not be spared at all.

Mr. Akpos Etioms – Insurance under writer. I think this is a very trying time for this administration, especially for Mr. President, because this is an issue that will put his credibility to test, especially as most of the people indicted contributed a lot to enthrone the President.

But what I will say there is that I want the President to ensure that the country holds him in trust because he was elected by the generality of the people. And this fuel subsidy is a national issue that affected the entire nation, especially at the beginning of this year when the fuel subsidy was removed.

So, whoever was indicted should be brought to book, irrespective of how highly placed the person may be. That will give the citizens the assurance that this government is actually a government of the people. So I think the government should take action now.

In the past, government had deceived the people but this time around the people especially the civil society groups, Labour Congress and other organised groups in the country have risen to their rights. They have said it openly that the President should take action, because one of the reasons for the January fuel subsidy strike was the cabal that has robbed the society, that has drained the economy of the country. Civil Society groups and labour have come out openly to tell Mr. President to take action now.

So, I believe government will take action now.

Dr. George Ellah – Medical Practitioner. The report should be looked into and the National Assembly should act on it because the Committee was set up to help us find a way out of the fuel subsidy problems. Some people in some quarters say there is no fuel subsidy, others say there is fuel subsidy.

Infact recently I read in one of the newspapers, where Prof. Tam David-West was saying that there’s nothing like subsidy. For such a highly profiled person to make that kind of comment, it means that there’s something we need to look critically into.

So, that report should be looked into. Infact a white paper should be published so that the public can really know and understand what is going on? What has been happening, what the present situation of things are? And where we have to go from here?

Some people say that some of those indicted in the report were those who sponsored President Goodluck Jonathan’s election, if that is true then it is common sense that it may be difficult for him to do any thing against them.

However, justice is justice. And justice delayed is justice denied. The President must at this point in time, look at the general interest of Nigerians. One person is not above the whole nation. We are talking about the life and welfare of 150 million Nigerians that is at stake in this matter.

While some of those people may have sponsored the election of the President, what the President should do at this point in time is to take a bold step and do act in the interest of Nigerians.

He must take this hard decision and make sure that no offender goes unpunished.

Mr. Obirido Abat – Businessman. I think the normal course of action should follow, that is justice. Because if this trend continues, we shall have no nation. Some highly placed persons who had opportunity to have contracts, to do business with government did not do it decently, then the full weight of the law should follow, otherwise this nation will not survive.

If we continue this way, watching people take away what belongs to the public, what belongs to 150 million Nigerians and nothing is done, there will be a time nothing would be left at all. It has already been said that this nation is a failed state and these are features of a failed state. And if we don’t arrest this trend then there will be no Nigeria for us again.

I don’t see this report going the way of previous reports, because this is from the National Assembly. In the past the National Assembly seemed indisposed to handle corruption issues. This is the only regime the national assembly is waking up to tackle corruption issue. So, I think since the general public and the national assembly have woken up, it will not go the way of the past where reports were submitted and no actions were taken.

I want the federal government to put necessary machineries in motion. I know that the EFCC is already at work. Nobody, no organisation should be spared so that this trend of corruption will stop. It is corruption that is killing this nation. If you remove corruption, this country will be one of the best countries in the world to live in. Any body, any organisation that was indicted should be tried.

Mr. Biragbara Jolly – Businessman. In my own view, those indicted should be prosecuted, so that others will learn lessons from them.

We have seen some past African leaders prosecuted for offences committed while in office. Things like that can also happen in Nigeria. Let government sit up. Let the President show Nigeria a difference. He said this is a transformation government, let the right thing be done. Justice should prevail.

Opinion

Agony In Ivory Tower

Published

3 days ago

March 9, 2026

The Tide

Quote: A university that tolerates missing scripts, result manipulation and ‘sorting’ is not merely failing students—it is quietly destroying the moral foundation of education itself.”

The sad cases of missing scripts, compulsory Sorting, inputting of wrong results and other obnoxious practices in some public universities, leave much to be desired. One cannot imagine how a student will be compelled to suffer consequences of the flagrant negligence of a Head of Department, a lecturer, Department staff or an ICT staff.Many academic and non academic staff in several public universities seem to be performing far below standard, thus unproductive to the university system. The unacceptable cases of sorting, missing scripts, missing results, inputting of wrong grades to students, should not be mentioned in a university, not even in any academic community. This is because people who are employed to work in various positions should have cognate work experience and unquestionable competence. They should not be seen as certificate welding illiterates but people who have been proven to be worthy in learning and character, diligent and competent to carry out assigned responsibilities with minimal or no supervision.

The university as a citadel of learning should boast of men of integrity, people who are repositories of applied knowledge and competence to drive the much desired holistic development in a nation that functions on quality teaching and learning. A situation where a student having gone through the crucibles of learning and written a prescribed semester examination or class-based evaluation test, is told that his or her script is missing or that he or she did not participate in that academic exercise, or must sort to pass, is an unpardonable error and a height of callousness. In fact some lecturers and staff of Departments are using the seeming systemic defect (which is their architecture) as an opportunity to extort students. Sometimes it is discovered much to students chagrin that the supposed missing script was later discovered when a ransom was paid.

Since a lecturer, or Head of Department has in their disposal both Yam and the knife and determines who takes what (if they wish to give without strings), students have no alternative but to submit to their importunate demands in order to graduate at record time.Such practices should be unheard of in an institution that should be a vanguard of moral and ethical values and conduct. What people learn in school constitute their behavioural patterns in the society. Where the school as an agency of socialisation cannot drive positive change first in its immediate environment, then the objective of education as a bedrock for the development of society, is inevitably compromised and counter-productive. The German Reformer, Dr. Martins Luther was quoted as saying, “I advise parents not to put their wards or children in any school where the Bible is not being used as a rule of life because such institutions will unnecessarily be corrupt”.

Gleaning from Luther’s sentiment one can deduce that the lack of respect and regard for values as well as the absence of the fear of God is the greatest undoing of most public schools. Another major challenge is that lack of Information, Communication and Technology literacy or compliance on the part of some lecturers and heads of department, may have informed the decision to give students’ scripts to secretaries to compile and input students results thereby making the secretaries the determinants of students’ fate. It is not saying a new thing that some of the secretaries in the process of compiling results have inputted wrong results, omitted names or down graded some students or given unmerited grades to others.Society today is ICT-driven and ICT-literacy enhances efficiency, speed and a reasonable degree of accuracy if the person behind the computer is level headed, articulate, competent, alive to responsibilities and is aware that negligence on his or her part is not only tantamount to a disservice to the university but to the students who may not graduate at record time because of his or her (computer operator’s) gross ineptitude or carelessness.

The ICT era makes the carrying of hard copy of results obsolete as lecturers through the Heads of Department can log on to the central server of the Exams and Records (if any) or ICT unit and input students’ results directly. By so doing the incessant cases where result on spread sheet is different from the one published online, more often than not, caused by abject negligence, will be avoided. The process will also end the intermediary services of some staff in the universities’ Information, Communication and Technology Department which has become a money spinner-a lucrative source of income to many of them. In fact some ICT staff reserved the power to award grades to students depending on students’ degree of compliance to terms and conditions. They can dubiously make or unmake a student. The university community should be considered too lofty to have careless, negligent, immoral and academic or professionally deficient people as academic or non-academic staff.

The Governing Councils and Senates of universities should be proactive in addressing the menace of missing Script, inputting of wrong results and sorting. This is necessary to end the slogan “Education is scam” so the system can produce quality students who are truly found worthy in learning and in character by operators who exemplify diligence, moral and ethical values. The much-needed reform must begin within the institutions themselves, because the future of any society is shaped in its classrooms.

By: Igbiki Benibo

Opinion

Strength of Emotional Equality

Published

3 days ago

March 9, 2026

The Tide

Quote: “Love thrives not when one gives more, but when both give fully — not in competition, not in performance, but in partnership.”

In every healthy relationship, there exists an invisible balance. It is not measured in grand gestures, expensive gifts, or public displays of affection. It is measured in something quieter and far more significant: emotional equality. When couples stand on equal emotional grounds, love becomes less of a negotiation and more of a partnership. Emotional equality does not mean both individuals express love in identical ways. It does not require matching personalities or mirroring temperaments. Rather, it speaks to balance — a shared willingness to invest, to communicate, to be vulnerable, and to grow. It is the difference between two people walking side by side and one person constantly trying to catch up.

In many relationships, imbalance begins subtly. One partner initiates most conversations. One apologizes more frequently. One carries the emotional labor — remembering important dates, managing conflicts, sensing tension, and attempting reconciliation. Over time, this uneven distribution of emotional effort breeds exhaustion. The partner who gives more begins to feel unseen. The one who gives less may grow comfortable in emotional passivity. Love, in such a space, starts to tilt — slowly at first, then significantly. Resentment can creep in quietly, disguising itself as patience. Silence may replace honest dialogue. What once felt effortless begins to feel heavy.

When couples stand on equal emotional grounds, responsibility is shared. Both people are accountable for the health of the relationship. If conflict arises, neither hides behind silence nor dominates through control. Instead, they engage. They listen. They speak honestly without weaponizing words. Equality creates safety — and safety strengthens intimacy. It allows both individuals to express needs without fear of ridicule or rejection. One of the most overlooked aspects of emotional equality is vulnerability. True connection requires courage. It demands that both partners risk being misunderstood. But when vulnerability is one-sided, it becomes exposure rather than intimacy. If one person consistently opens up while the other remains guarded, trust cannot fully deepen.

Equality ensures that emotional risks are mutual. Where one shares fears, the other shares too. Where one admits weakness, the other responds with openness rather than judgment. In such a space, authenticity flourishes. Another crucial element is validation. In emotionally balanced relationships, both partners feel heard. Their concerns are not dismissed as “overreactions.” Their feelings are not minimized or compared. When couples operate on equal emotional ground, they acknowledge each other’s experiences as legitimate. They may not always agree, but they always respect. Validation does not mean surrendering one’s viewpoint; it means recognizing that another’s emotional reality matters.

Equality also protects individuality. Contrary to popular belief, healthy love does not erase personal identity — it enhances it. When both partners are emotionally secure, they do not feel threatened by each other’s independence. Personal ambitions are encouraged, not resented. Friendships are respected, not restricted. Growth is celebrated, not feared. Standing on equal emotional grounds means neither person shrinks to accommodate the other. Instead, both expand, knowing the relationship is strong enough to hold their evolution. Power dynamics often expose emotional inequality. When one partner controls communication — appearing and disappearing unpredictably, withholding affection, or using silence as leverage — imbalance emerges.

Emotional dominance weakens intimacy. It creates anxiety instead of assurance. But when couples share emotional power, there is consistency. There is clarity. There is no need to decode affection because it is offered freely and intentionally. It is important to understand that equality does not imply perfection. Couples will still disagree. They will face stress, miscommunication, and moments of frustration. However, when emotional footing is equal, conflict does not threaten the foundation. Instead, it becomes an opportunity for understanding. Both partners approach challenges as teammates rather than opponents. They choose resolution over ego and repair over pride.

Time often reveals whether emotional equality truly exists. In the early stages of love, intensity can disguise imbalance. Enthusiasm feels mutual. Effort appears equal. But as routine settles in and novelty fades, the structure of the relationship becomes clearer. Who still initiates? Who still invests? Who still shows up consistently? Sustainable love requires sustained balance. It is built not merely on attraction, but on deliberate reciprocity. Standing on equal emotional grounds requires intentionality. It demands honest conversations about needs and expectations. It requires both partners to examine their habits — whether they withdraw during tension, avoid accountability, or rely on the other to carry the emotional weight. Emotional maturity is not about avoiding conflict; it is about handling it responsibly and returning, again and again, to shared ground.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of emotional equality is peace. There is no constant anxiety about where one stands. No guessing games about commitment. No fear that affection may suddenly disappear. Instead, there is stability. There is reassurance. There is mutual effort. In a world where relationships often blur the lines between attention and commitment, equality offers clarity. It reminds us that love should not feel like competition or performance. It should feel like partnership. When couples stand on equal emotional grounds, they build something resilient. They build trust that does not fracture easily. They build respect that does not depend on mood. They build a connection rooted not only in passion but in balance. And in that balance, love finds its strength — not in who gives more, but in how both give fully.

By: Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi

Opinion

NDDC: Time To Illuminate Homes

Published

1 week ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

Quote:“Twenty-five years on, the Niger Delta cannot celebrate illuminated streets while families sit in darkness. Development must begin inside the home — where children study, businesses grow, and lives are built — before it glows on the roadside.”

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was established in 2000 with a clear and urgent mandate: to facilitate the rapid, even, and sustainable development of Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta region. The creation of the Commission followed decades of agitation over environmental degradation, infrastructural neglect, and socio-economic marginalization in the region. Its core mandate included the development of roads, bridges, electricity, water supply, health facilities, education, housing, environmental remediation, and economic empowerment initiatives. At inception, expectations were high that the Commission would transform the Niger Delta into a model of regional development. Over the years, the NDDC has indeed implemented numerous projects across the nine Niger Delta states. Roads have been constructed and rehabilitated in several communities, easing transportation challenges.

Schools have been renovated, and new classroom blocks have been provided in underserved areas. Health centres have been built or upgraded, improving access to primary healthcare services. The Commission has also awarded scholarships to students, including foreign postgraduate scholarships, empowering thousands of youths academically.Skills acquisition and youth empowerment programmes have helped many young people gain vocational competencies.Through various interventions, the NDDC has contributed to job creation and local economic stimulation.Solar-powered street lighting projects have been widely implemented in urban and semi-urban communities. These streetlights have improved visibility at night and contributed to enhanced security in some areas. Markets, highways, and public spaces illuminated by solar lights have experienced extended business hours.

For these efforts, the Commission deserves acknowledgment and commendation. However, development must always align with foundational mandates and pressing grassroots realities. A growing concern among residents is that while streets are illuminated, many homes remain in darkness. Rural electrification and household power access remain inconsistent and inadequate across large parts of the region. In riverine and remote communities, families still rely on generators, kerosene lamps, or complete darkness after sunset. The irony of brightly lit streets juxtaposed with powerless homes cannot be ignored. Electricity at the household level directly impacts education, health, and small-scale enterprise. Students cannot effectively study at night without reliable indoor lighting.Families cannot preserve food or power essential appliances without stable electricity.

Micro and small businesses struggle to grow without dependable energy access. While street lighting enhances public aesthetics and security, it does not substitute for domestic electrification. The proverb “charity begins at home” is especially relevant in this context. True community development must first empower households before beautifying public spaces. The Commission’s original mandate emphasizes integrated and sustainable development, not isolated infrastructural gestures. Balanced development requires that energy interventions prioritize homes alongside streets. Solar technology presents a unique opportunity for decentralized household electrification in off-grid communities. Extending solar solutions to individual homes would have a transformative social impact. Home-based solar systems could power lights, fans, small appliances, and communication devices.

Such interventions would reduce poverty, improve living standards, and stimulate grassroots productivity. By broadening its energy focus, the Commission would better reflect the spirit of its founding legislation. This is not a call to abandon street lighting projects, which have their merits. Rather, it is an appeal for balance, inclusivity, and alignment with core developmental objectives. Strategic planning should ensure that rural electrification and household access form a central pillar of ongoing interventions. Community engagement and needs assessments can help determine priority areas for household solar deployment. Twenty-five years after its establishment, the NDDC stands at a reflective moment in its institutional journey. The people of the Niger Delta say: thank you for the efforts so far—but not very much—because true appreciation will come when development begins at home and radiates outward, not merely when streets shine while houses remain in darkness.

By: King Onunwor