The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Thursday called on Nigerians to bear with President Bola Tinubu and give him a chance to fix the country.
The organisation also commended President Tinubu for taking proactive steps to avert the proposed strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) over fuel subsidy removal pains.
CAN advised the labour organisations that if there was any need for a call to action, it should be for the judicious and accountable use of the funds that would otherwise have been used to subsidise fuel.
While describing the fuel subsidy as “a misadventure profiting the rich and politically connected,” Lagos State chapter chairman of CAN, Bishop Stephen Adegbite told newsmen that the issue became worsened when regional neighbours and smugglers started enjoying opulent returns at the expense of the citizenry.
According to Bishop Adegbite, who is also Methodist Bishop of Ikeja Diocese, the President’s invitation to NLC and TUC leaders for private discussion, which resulted in a truce, thus ending the nationwide protest, was commendable.
He said the President Tinubu’s action was an indication that he is a listening leader that is interested in getting things done in national interest.
Adegbite, therefore, appealed to Nigerians to give the President a chance to fix the country once and for all.
He said, “I have keenly followed the socio-economic developments in our country since May 29, 2023, when the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took the reigns of governance.
“The President had, on assuming office, made his now famous ‘fuel subsidy is gone’ pronouncement in his inaugural speech and since then, fuel prices have twice gone up in line with the dictates of market forces.
“The step he took was one majority of Nigerians had agreed needed to be taken. It was increasingly obvious that the subsidy regime was not benefiting the masses it was originally designed to benefit”.
He added: “The truth is that the fuel subsidy misadventure was profiting the rich, the politically connected, and even worse, our regional neighbours and smugglers who enjoyed opulent returns at the expense of the citizenry.
“Basically, the masses who were supposed to benefit from the subsidy were not the primary or secondary beneficiaries, but the saddest part is that the people have somehow been hoodwinked and deceived into believing that the fraud of subsidy was in their favour.
“It is against this background that I commend President Tinubu for inviting NLC and TUC leaders for follow-up discussions after organized labour went ahead with protest marches, despite his nationwide broadcast”.
Adegbite stated that President Tinubu is a listening leader who provided clarity to the leaders of the NLC and TUC, over matters that were unclear.
He said: “I find it assuring that he used the opportunity to provide clarity on a number of things labour leaders felt were not clear enough.
“This, in my view, shows that we indeed have a listening President who is interested in getting things done in national interest”.
Adegbite acknowledged that labour brought up the issue of refineries in its criticism of President Tinubu’s recent nationwide broadcast and for which its leaders have heard that the Port Harcourt refineries would be ready by December 2023.
The NLC, he said, should be aware that all the nation’s four refineries were being revamped under an arrangement entered into by the former administration of Muhammadu Buhari with different timelines.
Adegbite said: “So it is clear that there is a plan on ground to ensure local refining of petroleum. It is good to know that labour has resolved to suspend its protest marches.
“So my message to NLC and TUC is that if there is any need for a call to action, it should be for the judicious and accountable use of the funds that would otherwise have been used to subsidise fuel.
“We can’t be complaining about a deficit of social infrastructure and amenities as well as low wages for civil servants, and at the same time be opposed to efforts to improve the quality and availability of same”, the state CAN chairman said.
