Former governorship
candidate in AkwaIbomState,
Engr. Larry Esin has commented on the growing debate on fuel subsidy. This morning,
he opined on the issue of national concern using his facebook page...below is his
comment…
A very happy new year to all of you and may
your plans and desires for the new year all come to pass. Undoubtedly, the new
year began with a myriad of sociopolitical and economic development issues for
the Oro nation, AkwaIbomState
and Nigeria.
On all of these challenges we must exercise wisdom and perseverance. Though
much has been taken from Oro and much have Oro sacrificed, that which we are we
are, one equal hearts of heroic tempers. The question of our role in the
governance of our State in 2015, a responsibility we welcome with open arms,
will occupy and engage our thoughts and actions for the next three years. And
rightfully so !
But let us not be consumed, blinded and
misled by the fledgeling believe that it is "our turn" now. It has
always been our turn. For as long as we have been a part of AkwaIbomState, it has always been our turn and
responsibility to vie for any political office and offer solutions to meet the
development challenges of our State. The ibibio's, anangs, ekid's, and all
other ethnic groups will express their fundamental right to serve their State
in 2015, and we cannot fault them for doing so. Oro will win the governorship
not by evoking "Zoning", but by presenting the best marketable Oro
candidate in the race and giving 100% of our support to that candidate period !
As Nigerians, we are also concerned about the
fuel subsidy removal and its attendant impact on the quality of our lives. Let
me sate here that while I appreciate the objective of the federal government to
generate revenue, I do not agree that such revenue can best be secured through
the removal of subsidies. Neither do I subscribe to the argument that
"subsidies" are anti development as some of the proponents of the
removal of subsidies have argued.
The reality is that subsidies are economic
development tools; employed by even the most advanced countries (USA, China,
UK, Japan, Germany, OPEC member countries etc)
to boost the competitiveness of their industries on the international market.
Most of you may have heard of the agriculture subsidy war between China and the US, which helps grain farmers in
these countries to compete internationally.
The OPEC member States grant far reaching
subsidies on petroleum products, a major industrial input, to boost cost
effective production and ultimately the competitiveness of their industries
internationally. However, where there is a failed implementation of subsidy
programs or initiatives, the resultant impact on the national economy can be
devastating; like in Nigeria
today. The solution is therefore not a withdrawal of subsidies, but a proper
implementation of the program.
Removing subsidy because of inefficiency is
equivalent to throwing out the bath water with the baby in it. If our
refineries are fixed so that we can refine our crude oil locally, and the
recurrent expenditure of government trimmed, we will have recovered most of the
$8 Billion annual cost of subsidies each year. Let us exercise wisdom and
perseverance in tackling these problems; the solutions can be found within and
not through fresh World bank borrowing. These will be a grave mistake and must
be avoided by all cost. Thank you so much for the opportunity to chat with you
again, and please pardon my long silence on this forum. I may be silent, but I
am not insensitive to our collective challenges as a people. All the best and
God bless.
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