A fiasco is a complete, ludicrous and humiliating failure which provides excellent story-telling material. The word fiasco is synonymous with debacle, shambles, farce, mess, wreck, ruin, blunder, botched attempt and flop. The common denominator in all fiascos is that they could have been avoided by better planning or execution.
It’s been suggested that post-independence self-governance in Nigeria has been characterised by serial fiascos involving failed coups, a civil war, the 1979 elections, the Defence Headquarters fire, the Abacha kleptomania, the adoption of the 1999 constitution, House Speakership under Salisu Buhari and Patricia Etteh, Maina pensions scandal, the unending war against Boko Haram, #EndSARS, and so many others including the operations of post-1999 “democracy”.
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As if to keep up with the trend, the latest fiasco is the increase, or otherwise, in petrol prices. Last week the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) suggested bandwidth of the new fuel price to be between N209.61 and N212.61 per litre. With no notice and without further ado petrol marketers added to the increasingly unbearable hardships of living in Nigeria by unilaterally increasing pump prices.
In reaction, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) insisted that there was no approved increase. According to their sources, what the PPPRA declared was “advisory” and within its regulatory framework. Initially opponents of the increase blamed President Buhari for not announcing it himself, but to everyone’s surprise our president assured Nigerians that no matter the source of the information he isn’t aware of any fuel price increase!
The fiasco clearly indicates that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources isn’t being administered properly because both NNPC and PPRA are under its purview yet evidently not on the same page. The minister’s portfolio requires expert knowledge as the ministry is crucial in controlling the Nigerian economy. Nigerians are rightfully peeved that our president, who appointed himself minister of Petroleum against all sound advice, claims to know nothing about recurrent fraud in the industry let alone fuel price hike! Following almost unanimous adverse reactions, PPPRA deleted the online link to their new pump price template. Simultaneously NNPC went online to declare that fuel price hasn’t been increased. The fiasco has resulted in fuel now being sold for anywhere between N165 and N212.
The tragedy of this latest fiasco is that in many petrol stations, petroleum marketers are refusing to reduce pump prices. The trending joke is that motorists who complain that government released various online statements disowning the price increase were being told to buy their fuel from government online! That petrol prices can be increased under this administration without approval from the president shouldn’t raise any eyebrows. It’s simply further confirmation of opposition allegations that there is a vacuum in leadership.
A big part of the problem is that the president doesn’t regularly speak to the nation, the press, or the National Assembly and his spokespersons are renowned for dishing out half-truths and untruths. Even worse they habitually answer queries by merely insulting those who dare criticise government policies no matter how justifiably.
Not known for ever apologizing, they forget that it’s important for democratic presidents to create dialogue. It’s become self-evident they have no effective communication strategy, designed to persuade and sell their ideas to Nigerians.
It’s regrettable that President Buhari keeps his thoughts on national issues to himself and appears incapable of answering questions off the cuff, routinely limiting himself to merely reading taped prepared speeches rather than addressing live issues. It is the duty of every democratically elected president to be an effective communicator and influencer because truth is a prerequisite for real change.
Prior to 2015 few Nigerians believed that a Buhari presidency would lead the nation into the kind of desperate situation it’s in today. Six years down the line here we are, and the retired and perhaps tired general has hardly moved any hill let alone mountain in carrying out his change agenda.
Fuel prices are so essential to the Nigerian economy yet they have increased for the fifth time under this administration. Decisions of such magnitude require the president to address citizens who have a right to expect explanations. For an agency of government to drop such a bombshell on the lap of helpless Nigerians in the dead of the night is both unacceptable and unforgiveable especially in light of how the issue of petrol pricing is viewed.
Prior to the 2015 general elections, then candidate Buhari led some prominent Nigerians onto the streets in protest against planned petrol price increases. Back then he urged fixing the refineries rather than increasing price of imported fuel. The protests which he led shutdown the country for days until then President Jonathan retraced his steps and recanted. Disappointingly Buhari’s first major decision after inauguration was to increase fuel price while doing nothing about fixing the refineries! Six years later, still with no functional refinery Nigerians are reduced to buying fuel at twice the price obtainable back when Buhari was protesting on the streets.
The main difference between Jonathan’s time and today is that these days anyone protesting on the streets is more likely to be tear-gassed, arrested, or even shot, than paid attention to! Even if adverse reactions cause prices to eventually come down many analysts believe that an increase in fuel prices is imminent anyway.
While refuting the hike, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Silva, didn’t say there would be no increase, he merely said that increase would not happen in March. Some have interpreted this to mean that the PPRA simply jumped the gun on planned increases!
This fiasco has fatally exposed the poor management of the nation’s petroleum industry. Nigerians are left to wonder why no heads have rolled as a result of a government agency taking such a critical and sensitive decision capable of creating public disorder? In truth, what took place can only happen in a country where there is not seen to be a decisive effective leader.
The end result of the president’s extremely poor public relations is that the abiding image of him these days is of him relaxing barefooted in the Villa and picking his teeth, appearing unconcerned and oblivious to the pains which ill-conceived and ill-delivered policies are causing. Increasingly, this administration is writing the script of what will become history’s poor assessment of its performance. Between now and 2023, when they finally leave office, the nation can only expect more fiascos and uncertainty. The real question arising from this latest fiasco is whether or not Nigerians should respect any orders from any government agency without announcement from the President?
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