Urges Tinubu to hand off petroleum, electricity
A former President of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education, Chief Bola Doherty, over the weekend, warned the Federal Government of dire consequences of the outlandish hike in tuition fees in higher institutions across the country saying it will be counterproductive.
Doherty emphasized that the outrageous hike, if not checked, could force several students out of school and create more problems for the country.
The seasoned educationist who is the Proprietress of Bola Immaculate School gave the warning in an interview with journalists in Ibadan.
According to her, now that the country is battling with insecurity, kidnapping and other social vices, “whoever advised the Federal Government to increase the tuition fees in that margin must be wicked and insensitive”.
She said, “I don’t want to be selfish. I’m not against a hike in school fees but the margin of the increase is killing and insensitive. For Federal schools, whoever advised the government on the tuition fees increase must be very heartless. It is too high and if private operators do that, the Government will force them to pay more taxes”.
This, she said, is the only antidote that could check the arbitrary hike in the prices of petroleum products.
“What can solve the nagging problem we have is the immediate disbandment of the NNPC. Everything is expensive because of the hike in the price of fuel. When President Tinubu came on board, many Nigerians saw him as a Messiah. But, now many people have been disappointed. Imagine how the price of fuel was increased from N197 to N600. Where do they think we can get that money? How do they want people to afford it,” she said.
“My belief when the president came in was that he would disband the NNPC because it is the problem of Nigeria. It’s so disheartening that it is the NNPC that is determining the price of petroleum.”
“Allow independent marketers to build refineries. Give State Governors, individuals licenses to build refineries in their states. This will bring down the prices of fuel.”
“Anything that the government handles cannot succeed. The other time, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said building a refinery by December was not feasible because he knows what he’s saying.”
Also she urged the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to hand off petroleum and electricity sectors.
She said: “Government should take its hands off petrol and electricity. It is when this is done that Nigerians will be able to buy petrol at an affordable price and also have a stable power supply. Let FG concentrate on governance.
“One refinery for about 300 million people? We are all joking, we are not serious. How long are we going to rely on a man building a refinery?”
“When I went for a conference in New York, I came across some white men who said they came to Nigeria for six months. They said we can build mini refineries across Nigeria.”
“We expect things to change drastically but now businesses are collapsing. I don’t expect anything from the senators because many of them are earning pensions as governors and salaries as senators. That type of person cannot represent the people well. They don’t feel the shoe where it pinches. They have enough money to spend.”