Commissioner calls for immediate restructuring of Nigeria before 2019 -Says importation of fuel is fraud

                                                                                   

                                                                           By Inegbagha Majesty

   Arising from the unabated insecurity problems bedeviling the country and in a bid to enhance peace and stability, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Saviour Frank Ibegi has added his voice on the clarion call for immediate restructuring of the country before the 2019 general elections.

Chief Saviour Frank Ibegi

President Buhari

  Chief Ibegi who made the call in a chat with Global Overseer correspondent in Yenagoa, on ways of addressing the insecurity and the economic challenges confronting the nation, said restructuring was not about separation or disintegration but we have to rethink of the foundation of where we have stayed.

  “We have lived in this country for how many years? We are not enjoying it. And so the people who are parts of this nation should sit back and say where are we coming from? If where we are coming from is not too clear, let us renegotiate our stay together.

   Restructuring is not separation. It is not disintegration. But having taking a rethink on the foundation of where we have stayed.

  He called for true and fiscal federalism using the 36 states as federating units to pay taxes to the federal government.

  According to him the federal government carried too much power and stressed the need for devolution of powers to states.

  “The federal government is carrying too much power. When money come the federal government takes half of it or more than half at the expense of states and local government councils. The 36 states take less. And yet the federal government is not doing anything to develop states like Bayelsa.  My thinking of restructuring; reduce the powers of the centre and give more value and strength to the federating units,” Chief Ibegi averred.

  He described the ongoing insecurity caused by the herdsmen as a gimmick to capture and Islamise the people.

  “The so call Boko Haram and Herdsmen is self inflicted on the people. How can Herdsmen carry AK 47 and started killing people? These herdsmen are an extension, a different method of killing our people. Are they killing them in the North? Are they killing them in Kano? They kill them in the middle belt. So, they want to conquer the rest of us; it is an Islamization project now. So, the insecurity matter is self inflicted. It is a game they are playing to terrorize Nigeria and then return this country for four years of terrorism and imprisonment. Nigerians should wake up; wake up and we should know what is happening, “he stated.

  Chief Ibegi used the forum to enjoin Nigerians to vote credible people who have development antecedents and economic repute with the will to turn around the fortune of the country into power during 2019 general elections.

  He said Nigerians should be ruled by persons who have the will power to develop the people, stressing the need to shun playing politics with development and our stay together.

  Commenting on his feelings about the country as oil producing nation and still importing petroleum product daily, Chief Ibegi described the act as a great fraud.

   According to him somebody were making gain while Nigeria is losing, adding that this is the fraud called Nigeria.

He said “You are the owner of the crude oil and you sell your oil to one small nation. Then, you go there and they refine and you buy it and come”. It has stupidity effect. Look, somebody is not thinking well. You have the product and you sell it to a later person. And then you go there and buy it at higher cost. That is stupidity of highest order.

How much does it cost to run our refineries? Were the refineries that are running is somebody losing? Were the refineries that are not running is somebody gaining?

Dangote build refinery and Nigeria cannot build refinery. Dangote owns a refinery; build a refinery but a nation cannot build. Every day turn around maintenance, turn around maintenance, turn around maintenance. We can’t keep our refineries working. So, what is that story? Because somebody is gaining.

  He said emphatically that Nigeria has no business importing fuel, stressing that even if  it would cost the nation $20 billion dollars to build refinery and provide fuel for the people, the federal government should build and stop importing fuel.

 “Even if it will cost us $20 billion dollars to build refinery and provide petroleum for ourselves can’t we build it? But we can’t do it because somebody somewhere in the leadership of the country is making gain that Nigeria will be losing. When Nigeria is gaining they are losing. So, they want Nigeria to lose so that they will gain,” he averred.