The Kerosene Subsidy Scam and the Boko Haram Massacres

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Wpid Jonathandiezani
The Kerosene Subsidy Scam And The Boko Haram Massacres

Jonathan_Diezani

 ? By Dr. Peregrino Brimah

Boko Haram has struck once again, again after not so long when they had  struck again. In this latest strike, over 100 villagers in a Christian  predominant Izghe farming village were slaughtered, their homes were  burned and stores looted. Re-inspired by the violence in the Central  African Republic (CAR) the death vampire cult hopes to trigger such in  Nigeria and pit Nigeria?s religious groups against each other to spill  the blood they thirst for. God forbid. The terror bandits drove in, in 7 hilux vehicles according to eyewitnesses. This was not the first time  terrorists drove freely in convoys within unprotected parts of our  nation, operated for hours, killing, raping and burning, and then left,  unscathed. They even dared to do so and shoot videos while doing it to  our air force base in Maiduguri last December. For this to occur,  something is seriously wrong? our civilians and military are  ridiculously unsafe.

The two questions to ask are, why do we have  such a brazen terror situation which continues to not only seize  innocent lives, but also destroy our economy and status, and why can we  not combat it?

The answers to both are the same?money (greed) lead to this terror state and money (greed) ensures Nigeria is unable to  reasonably abate the crises and protect its citizens.

It was our  politicians who invented and armed these terrorists as political thugs,  to get in power and loot wealth. The same happened in Borno as happened  in Rivers. These politicians, the likes of former Borno governor Ali  Modu Sheriff, are still free men, thus validating that crime pays and  terrorism is government policy. Our NSA under whose tenure Modu Sheriff  and co did these things, is a free man even being nominated?in terror to Nigeria?for the minister of defense spot; under his watch and till  date, southern economic usurpers and terror sponsors likewise remain  free, the likes of Peter Odili [see ?Chop Fine? HRW report of 2007].  Former PDP chairman, Bamanga Tukur who praised Boko Haram terrorists for being ?freedom fighters,? is not only free, but rewarded as head of  Nigeria?s Railway Corporation. The president has said he knows many  other supporters and sponsors of Boko Haram terror.

Nigeria is  officially under a terrorist government so long as the Goodluck Jonathan administration protects these terror sponsors; and there will be more  deaths, there will be the creation of many more similar, new terrorist  operations across Nigeria, especially leading up to the next round of  elections.

How many innocent civilians and military men, women and children must be slaughtered before the Jonathan administration stops  partying with the terror masterminds and arrests them? This government  is dangerously incompetent and has woefully, painfully failed its  people. We all know how ruthlessly late Yar?adua with his NSA Mukhtar  dealt decisively with the Boko Haram scourge, that the Obasanjo  administration, with interests and greed much like the Jonathan admin.  was prior playing with. Last week 9 soldiers were killed. This week over 100 civilians were killed. When will enough blood have been spilled for the Jonathan administration to get the balls to do the duty they swore  to do?to protect the Nigerian people o to admit and quit in the interest of life? When will our treacherous lawmakers of all parties move  forward with a democratic option to impeach for failure to execute the  laws of the land and protect the people from economic and its derived  violent terror? There is a white-paper report chaired by Interior  minister Abba Moro, on the presidents table and NSA Dasuki?s table which listed those who established Ecomog and now Boko Haram. The president  had said he gave the go ahead to act. When shall NSA Dasuki act on these evil men? What is the value of our lives to this administration?

Would Boko Haram still be as it is today, able to invade in convoys and burn  and destroy for hours, un-accosted, if NSA Dasuki or President Jonathan  was made to live in Bama or Baga? Fortified in Abuja and Aso rock and  transported in bullet proof vehicles and with a dozen private  presidential jets, these people do not even empathize with Nigeria any  more when massacres occur.

The second money related aspect that  has led to the entrenchment of terrorism in Nigeria is the poverty and  oppression levels. Where there is wealth in the hands of the wrong and  the reckless and there is poverty among the masses, there will be  terror. Nigeria has 100 million destitute. Parts of the north have  destitute levels between 75-85% who live under a dollar a day and really have no shoes. Had these regions been autonomous, the people would have been in sync with their governments who would have understood, related  with and served to maintain cohesion. However being fed fat by Nigeria?s oil wealth, the so-called leaders in these parts as a part of the  national political reckless Cabal block, used the nation?s wealth to  create imbalance and rather than alleviating poverty, they colluded with those at the center to further exploit the poor. The poor are exposed  to the elements, stripped naked, exploited and armed by the cabal and  political ruining class.

The massive looting of Nigeria?s  resources is directly responsible for the state of embedded terror  today. Why does Nigeria?s NNPC under Diezani Alison-Madukwe have  kerosene sold to the people at $150 per liter, while claiming and  keeping a subsidy on the 10 million liters sold per day at N40.9/liter,  that enables the stealing of N100+/liter from the poor and desperate,  through her handful of cabal portfolio middle-men marketers? With the  subsidy scam that several political cabal have shares in, the Goodluck  administration scams Nigerian masses of $10 million every day! This $10  million stolen daily would go a long way to curing terror in the north  east once and for all.

Late Yar?adua banned the subsidy scam, his  quick death as he went after processes the greedy ruling politicians  used to feed fat and sponsor terror, caused panic among the Obasanjo  establishment. Yar?adua had overturned the illegal sale of Nigeria?s  refineries to Dangote by the Obasanjo administration, and as he sent  several directives to stop the subsidy scam, the ex-president ran  helter-skelter to see how to get rid of Yar?adua. Yar?adua?s illness  took a sudden turn for the worse, and several close associates of his  have relayed that he suspected he was poisoned with his food and had the Obasnajo kitchen staff he was still using, fired for fear that they may have poisoned him. A report also states that his wife feared he may be  poisoned. When the Goodluck Jonathan government took over, the senate  abandoned investigating his death.

The looting of $10 million per  day in the subsidy scam has continued and so has terror. $10 million  looted by Diezani and co everyday can buy 10 Armored Personnel Carriers  (APC?s) every day. In a recent barrack that was sacked in Borno and had  its army wives raped and children slaughtered complains were made of  there being only a single APC to defend the barrack. Most of the  equipment Nigeria?s military still uses, was purchased since the Shagari regime. The looting governments do not give a damn about equipping the  military; rather they arm and equip terrorists to defend their political interests. This topsy-turvy running and ruining of the state is the  reason why we are in the current predicament and our people are dying  like chickens.

The 10 million the government steals everyday  through the illegal subsidy scam could buy 500 drones everyday to ensure that the terrorists are spotted as they dare to drive their convoys  into town, and APC?s can block their route and send them to the great  beyond. But rather than stop stealing and protect the masses, these  greedy officials will keep dipping their hands into the people?s pockets to steal N100 per liter of kerosene so their kids can fly around the  world in private jets and flaunt money in public. Diezani has insolently insisted that she will continue to ?steal? billions form us via the  subsidy scam, regardless of presidential directive, which she says she  can disobey.

$10 million stolen everyday by the Goodluck  administration in this scam can provide social security and welfare for  the people in each state of Nigeria, starting from Borno, through the  entire states, investing just one year, 12 days at a time,  state-by-state. The people will be happy, victims of terror, kidnapping  and armed robbery will be compensated, there will be security measures  including police helicopters and drones to provided additional security  and trace and track down terrorists and bandits, and Nigeria would be a  happy land. But rather than do so, a handful of the ruining class,  decide to steal this wealth which ultimately sponsors terror in Nigeria. The government is even so desperate; they steal from Almajiri?s  (beggars) as has been exposed in the budget which includes Almajiri  education projects with grossly inflated rates. [See: ?Federal Ministry  of Education has planned in its 2014 budget to spend N950 million on the construction of a single block of three classrooms? in article: ?Why  steal in the name of Almajiris??by M.U. Ndagi in WeeklyTrust of 8th February, 2014]. And these are the Almajiris we are trying to support to dissuade their recruitment in terrorism.

The kerosene subsidy scam must stop yesterday!  All the middlemen marketers who aided and abetted the oil minister to  steal N100/liter from Nigerians for 10 million liters per day in this  fourth kleptocratic republic must be arrested along with the above-the  law minister. These thieves are at the root of terror in Nigeria. It is  time to put an end to economic terror and the political environment of  terror in Nigeria! It is enough. #NoToChancing

Dr. Peregrino Brimah http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] Email: [email protected] Twitter: @EveryNigerian

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