3-11-2024.

 Nigeria is a country immensely blessed with hydrocarbon reserves, but many of the citizens can hardly afford to buy petroleum because of its high price. Even when some refining of the crude  products was reluctantly agreed to be done locally, a litre of petroleum skyrocket, and keep skyrocketing in the country forcing not a few people to dispose their motor vehicles for good or keep them permanently at home.

Nigeria is the supposed giant of Africa, but which status has continued to elude it, despite being blessed with enormous resources to make that happen. But the pervasive corruption by its thieving leaders ensures that the country remains perpetually a potential giant of the continent.

A documentary called ‘Petrol, Power and the People’ aired in a video clip, claims that petrol needs not to be paid for by the Nigerian citizens, because the profits to be made from the other products from the crude oil is adequately sufficient to cover the cost of refining of the products and make enough profits for the government or the companies involved with the process.

But because corruption has become a way of life for most of the nation’s leaders, even the government owned refineries and other oil-related facilities are not allowed to work. Anytime some money is made available for their repairs and or restoration, the money is stolen immediately without such remedial action taken. 

Take the pathetic example of the four government refineries at Port Harcourt (two, consisting of the old and the new) in Rivers State, Warri in Delta State and Kaduna in Kaduna State. They have not been working for ages due to the repairs they were supposedly needing. But the money is always stolen the moment it is provided for the repairs, so much so that the NIgerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited is NOW only a dispenser of petroleum refined locally by the Dangote Refinery.

The documentary produced and aired by someone or people who knew the crude oil business in and out, said that what made the Nigeria’s Bonny Light crude oil one of the most wanted in the world is its; (a) Low sulphur content, (b) High API gravity and (c) Balanced Product yield, which makes it a premium commodity.

According to the presenter of the documentary, “From one barrel of the crude oil we get, (a) Gasoline 12.5 Gallons (47.3 litres), Diesel 9.5 Gallons (36 litres), Jet fuel or Kerosene 3.5 Gallons (13.2 litres), Fuel oil 6.0 Gallons (22.7 litres), Petrochemicals 2.7 Gallons (9.5 litres). Other products e.g. asphalt lubricants 1.5 Gallons (5.7 litres).

“You can give the petrol for free and still make a profit. Even if a refinery gives petrol free, it can still cover its cost and still make a profit from the other products, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemicals have such high margins that they can carry the whole team, like Victor Osimen carrying Nigeria’s Super Eagles to victory.

“All these talks about high prices and subsidies might be one giant SCAM. Let us hear the truth. We are not asking much, we just want the truth and compassion. We are not only swimming in crude oil, but also drowning in crude lies”.

Oil would appear to be a curse instead of a blessing to Nigeria, because since the discovery and the beginning of its exploration, the nation has refused to advance to the next level, remaining a one-commodity (mono) economy defendant on the exportation of the crude for its income 

Other countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia,  that are also rich in the hydrocarbon resources, have  made good use of the resources for the development and advancement of the country and their citizens 

The Malta Refinery allegations are still fresh in our minds, and Nigerians are still waiting for convincing explanation about their ownership.

The small Island of Malta is home to refineries allegedly belonging to the companies of some powerful people in Nigerian. OANDO OIL and GAS Company, which was said to have bought

the shareholding interest of Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), was alleged to belong to the Nigerian President, who was said to have taken control from his nephew, Adewale Tinubu.

Nigeria is a very rich country which is unfortunately ruled by selfish and greedy leaders who do not govern for God and country, but for themselves. The fact that most of them are fantastically rich is enough proof that their hands are soiled by corruption. An ugly development which keeps the country in perpetual poverty of development.

Not long ago, a list of Nigeria’s fifty richest politicians trended online, and all but four of the people were politicians, majority of whom were serving and or former governors. Some of them were as poor as the proverbial church rats, but they became stinking rich after they came out of public office. This suggests that they illegally acquired ‘their’ stupendous riches from the Commonwealth.

Petroleum has become too expensive in Nigeria for many citizens to afford, with a litre going for more than N1,100, from the N548 that the present administration has met on 29-5-2023, the day it came on board. Not unlike electricity, which tariff was also hiked by the President Tinubu led government, petroleum has become a luxury commodity in Nigeria that only government vehicles, those belonging to ‘elected’ members of the National Assembly (NASS) and top politicians outside the NASS and the states Houses of Assembly.

It is of great wonder where the thieving people in the government and politics expect to go with the trillions of naira they keep on amassing. They cherish building massive mansions and many shops, take good care of their immediate family (wife and the children), praise singers and false clerics. The false clerics often mislead the gullible with lies, by telling them that all would be forgiven by God if they build at least a mosque or feed the needy in their lifetime.

As a friend once said, Nigerians had ‘entered a one-chance vehicle at the moment’, to which another person added that, fellow compatriots are suffering the from the effects of ‘TINUBUFLATION’.

Anyway, God is clean and therefore Does not accept anything unclean from anybody, regardless of their status in the world. Anyone who meets Him must explain how they conduct themselves, their relationship with one another and their activities in the world. 

May God enable those good and considerate individuals (philanthropists) who feed the multitude of needy people around Nigeria, not only continue, but REDOUBLE their efforts in the same direction. There is a great need for that because of the rampaging poverty in the country, with a considerable number of citizens going to bed on an empty stomach. The money to buy the food is taken away by the regime of unfriendly economic policies constantly  introduced and imposed on the citizens by this administration.

May He also ease our affairs, and the Nation’s, and give us leaders who fear Him, and fear meeting Him on the day of judgement, for there would be no doubt about it, nor hiding place for anyone, especially those who deliberately wronged the people they were supposed to lead FAIRLY.

Malam Malumfashi wrote from Katsina.