Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has reacted to the lingering fuel scarcity in the country. Prof Soyinka who made his position known in a statement titled “Blame passing: The New Year Gift to a Nation,’’ and made available to Vigil360 called on President Buhari to take measures to address the situation and stop the blame passing game that has been ongoing.
“I recently ran the gauntlet of petroleum queues through three conveniently situated cities – Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan – deliberately, this Friday. Even with ‘unorthodox’ aids of passage, this was no task for the faint-hearted.
“Just getting past fueling stations was traumatising, an obstacle race through seething, frustrated masses of humanity, only to find ourselves on vast stretches of emptied roads pleading for occupation. As for obtaining the petroleum in the first place – the less said the better.
“I suspect that this government has permitted itself to be fooled by the peace of those empty streets, but also by the orderly, patient, long-suffering queues that are admittedly prevalent in the city centres. It is time the reporting monitors of government moved to city peripheries and sometimes even some other inner urban sectors, such as Ikeja and Maryland from time to time to see, and listen!
Pronouncements – such as the 1977 above – again re-echoing by rote in 2017– are a delusion at best, a formula that derides public intelligence. Buying time. Passing blame. Yes, of course, the current affliction must be remedied, and fast, but is there a dimension to it that must be brought to the fore, simultaneously and forcefully? This had better be the framework for solving even a shortage that virtually paralysed the nation.”
Relating the situation to political development in the country, Prof Soyinka maintained that “as the tussle for the next round of power gets hotter in the coming year, the electorate will again be manipulated into losing sight of the base issue… Sooner than later, but not as soon as pledged, the fuel crisis will pass. And then, of course, we shall await the next round of shortages, then a recommencement of blame passing.
“What will be the commodity this time – food perhaps? Maybe even potable water? In a nation of plenty, nothing is beyond eventual shortage – except, of course, the commonplace endowment of pre-emptive planning and methodical execution.”
Make Calls At Filling Stations And Go To Jail, Police Warns Nigerians
The Nigerian Police has warned Nigerians to desist from making or receiving phone calls at filling stations or risk being arrested and thrown into jail. The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood stated this in a chat with Punch. He maintained that it is a criminal offence to make calls or smoke at filling stations.
He explained that Police Officers have been authorized to arrest anyone found to be committing this crime. He described filling stations as public facilities where motorists cannot act as they like on account of the inflammable products being dispensed there.
“Making phone calls or smoking at filling stations is a criminal offence and the police, of course, could arrest anyone violating the safety rules put in place to safeguard life and property at the filling stations.”
He urged the general public against violating the safety rules forbidding smoking and phone calls at filling stations.
