New Year Christmas Gift

It finally happened!

Some of you may know that I've been beefing the government of Prez Yar'Adua for not giving us a fuel price increase as a Christmas gift (see this past blog). 

It made sense to me and everyone I spoke to that if lower oil prices means our economy is threatened then at the very least there should be a counter effect of local fuel prices dropping on a par with global practices. 

It finally came to pass. Today it was announced that fuel should be sold at N65 down from N70. Meaning I can now fill a 50litre car tank with N3250 as against N3500. 

it doesn't seem like much on the surface, but the trickle down effect onto prices of goods and services, not to mention the psychological boost to the common man will definitely produce a multiplier effect.  Or won't it?

No Christmas Fuel Price Reduction

Yesterday our government announced its decision not to give us the one Christmas present that would have meant so much to us all - lower fuel prices.

According to NNPC mouthpiece Dr Livi Ajuonuma (who rarely seems to have much work to do these days) government will not allow a reduction in prices as it would like to recoup its estimated N500million a month subsidy.  

Can you believe this crap?

Like many Nigerians, when the news broke that Government would probably reduce pump prices, I was ecstatic. Imagine buying fuel at N50 or even N60 again!  Imagine the political capital that would be earned by this government if it dropped the pump prices. 

Imagine how grateful travellers would have felt to find lower travel fares to their hometowns  instead of the usual fare increase. Imagine how grateful sellers of goods would feel to find that transport rates dropped to make it cheaper to move items to market. 

Imagine if rice and clothes and meat and everything was cheaper this Sallah or Christmas. 

Imagine the missed opportunity to buy our votes at the next election. Who advises this government on these matters anyway?  

This is just proof that this government knows it doesn't really need the electorate to win elections.