By RhemDy News
Oyo State governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has declared that it should not be the responsibility of Nigerians to bear higher cost of fuel resulting from the inability of the government to secure the nation's borders.
Governor Makinde also noted that too many Nigerian citizens were still trapped in poverty.
The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) made the declaration on Thursday in his monthly newsletter where he averred that governments have over the years been changed, new policies introduced with new beginnings promised.
"Yet, for millions of Nigerians, the fundamental outcomes have remained largely the same.
"Too many of our people are still trapped in poverty. Too many families work hard without experiencing real progress. Too many young Nigerians are unable to see a clear path from education to opportunity. Insecurity continues to disrupt lives and livelihoods, while many of the institutions created to serve the people do not work as effectively as they should.
"This tells us that Nigeria’s challenge is bigger than the individuals occupying public office at any particular time. We must address the systems, institutions and structures that continue to reproduce outcomes that do not serve the majority of our people," he said.
Citing the petroleum pricing as an example, Makinde said for years, the debate in Nigeria has largely been presented as a choice between subsidising petroleum products or allowing Nigerians to pay the full market price.
"I believe we are asking the wrong question. The more important question is: what is the right pricing framework for an oil-producing country like Nigeria?
"Different countries arrive at petroleum prices differently. What Nigerians deserve to know is the current pricing framework and the assumptions that determine what we pay at the pump: the crude price benchmark, refining costs and margins, exchange-rate assumptions, logistics and distribution costs, taxes and levies, and the other variables included in that calculation.
"These should be publicly accessible and sufficiently clear for Nigerians to interrogate the basis of the price they are paying and compare it with the alternatives," he said.
Governor Makinde maintained that Nigerians must reject that they must pay more for petroleum products to eliminate the price difference that makes smuggling into neighbouring countries profitable.
He declared, "Nigerians should not be made to bear the cost of government’s inability to secure its borders".
The APC presidential candidate insists that resetting Nigeria means being willing to interrogate the system itself. "The petroleum question should therefore not simply be whether subsidy should return or remain removed.
"It should be whether the pricing system we are using is the right one for Nigeria and whether it allows Nigerians to derive a fair benefit from the natural resources they own".
Makinde stated that he will in the coming weeks put forward alternative which will allow Nigerians to judge by themselves.
"Reset Nigeria is a national movement to rebuild Nigeria’s systems and institutions so that Nigeria works for every Nigerian.
"A national reset therefore requires both accountable leadership and active citizenship. It asks those who govern to serve differently, but it also asks every Nigerian to participate differently.
"This will not be an instant transformation, nor will it be the work of one person. It must be a deliberate national effort supported by a clear roadmap, measurable priorities and the sustained participation of Nigerians at home and abroad," he said.
Makinde assured that he will continue to share more about what it means to reset the economy, security architecture, education system, the institutions and social and political order.
"I will also explain the lessons I have learnt from public service and how those lessons have shaped this vision. Most importantly, I want to hear from you," stressed.
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