Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida has condemned removal of the erstwhile fuel subsidy regime by President Goodluck Jonathan, stating it was ill-timed.

He also strongly indicted the country’s leaders for failing in their responsibilities at meeting the peoples’ expectations.
Babangida returned to the country on December 7, last year, from a medical trip to Germany and he is expected to return there soon.

Reacting to the fuel subsidy removal announced over the weekend, he stated that, “It is ill-timed. The issue of subsidy should be seen more as politics and not economics, because the sole purpose of government is for the good of the people and not to create hardship. It is better to seek political solution to the subsidy discourse than invoking the sentiments of economics.”

Alleging exclusion of the National Assembly in the decision-making process leading to the removal of the fuel subsidy Babangida noted that this breached the  principles of participatory and all-inclusive democracy.

“The National Assembly should have been made to be part of the decision-making process since the 2012 budget is yet to be discussed and passed by the Legislature. Every government should ordinarily take the interest of her people at heart so that the reason for its existence would be justified.

“I will insist that a political solution be sought in resolving the issue so that a mutually agreeable position can be reached between the leaders and the people. This exclusive decision of the Executive arm of government does not speak well of the tenets and principles of participatory and all-inclusive democracy,” he stated.
Taking a long view of the mix of crises besetting the polity, the retired amoured corps General observed in a statement appraising the state of the nation, that, “There is a potential breakdown of social contract between the leaders at all levels and the led. Leaders have failed in their responsibilities at meeting the expectations of the people.”

The former military president who expressed these positions through Prince Kassim Afegbua, his media spokesman, further noted that, “Events happening in the country in recent times have once again call for serious concern by all in view of our peculiar history, political orientation, and the dynamics of our federation.

“The spate of bombings and other untoward acts in the country have thrown up the greater need for all of us to be more retrospective, introspective and proactive on issues of our common interest and nationality. It is a collective responsibility and all well-meaning people must be in agreement as to the urgent need to arrest this drift in our national psyche to keep our federation streaming.”

Counseling political pragmatism, he noted that Nigerians must agree that problems do exist and the leadership must scale-up the level of sophistication of intervention efforts.

His words: “We must agree that we do have problems on our hands. We also must be prepared to confront the problems head-on without brewing sentiments and emotions that may tend to becloud the real issues. Some of these problems, as disturbing as they appear to be, have lived with us for some time now without going away even when concerted efforts have been made to proffer solutions to them.

“We must therefore invent new ways to suit the sophistication of crimes and violence. We have also survived several challenges as a nation under construction and expectedly one should appreciate the delicate balance that we find ourselves as a result of these rebuilding processes.

Source:http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/12295/2012/01/03/subsidy_removal_ill-timed_%E2%80%93_ibb.html

See how IBB dey lecture Jonathan the Fisherman oh, chei

IBB should shut his mouth up, the worst GEJ is the best Ibb.

There is no right time. . .
Now or never. . .it will not be palatable to Nigerians.
IBB. . .you are wrong.
Someone had to do it and I am glad is someone from the SOUTH-SOUTH!

God bless GEJ for listening to Sanusi!

NORTH AND SOUTH FOR EVER. . . FASHI EAST AND WEST!!!!!

9ja_I_hail:

IBB should shut his mouth up, the worst GEJ is the best Ibb.

No body is an admirer of IBB, but why don't we look at the message and leave the messenger out of it for now! Any sense in His message at all ?