By Williams Adesoji
Abuja, Nigeria – A prominent Nigerian social critic and human rights activist, Comrade Igbotako Nowinta, has described the recent statement made by Ayodele Olawande, Minister of State for Youth Development, as “an affront to the collective intelligence of Nigerian masses.”
Comrade Nowinta, Executive Director, Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre (NGGRC) who doubles as an international conflict resolution expert, recently made the statement in a press release he titled: We Know Where The Shoe Hurts Us: Tinubu Is A Huge Beneficiary Of Nigerian Rotten System”, which he gave to journalists in Abuja.
He said “Tinubu’s Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande brazenly descended to the level of gross insensitiveness to the plight of Nigerian masses and poured undeserved insults on the underprivileged Nigerians”.
It would be recalled that Ayodele Olawande spoke recently at the Joint Union Negotiating Council’s week of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development branch in Abuja, where he posited: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not a pauper; he is an acknowledged epitome of wealth and so it cannot be said of him that he desires to loot the treasure of Nigeria.”
According to the details of the press release:
“We are not nincompoops, we are not morons; we know where the social – economic shoe hurts us the most in Nigeria. For someone to lecture us that Tinubu does not desire to loot the treasure of Nigeria is the highest level of demonstration of nonsensical hypocrisy.”
“What did Tinubu have in terms of materialistic aggregation before May 1999? Where was he materialistically when he left office as the Governor of Lagos State in 2007? What prompted him unrestrainly to smuggle his way into the presidency of Nigeria via the worst rigged presidential elections in the history of Nigeria in February 2023?”
“President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande brazenly descended to the level of gross insensitiveness to the plight of Nigerian masses and poured undeserved insults on the underprivileged Nigerians, when he said:” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not a pauper; he is an acknowledged epitome of wealth and so it cannot be said of him that he desires to loot the treasure of Nigeria”.
“Olawande’s affront is an insult to our collective intelligence indeed. If President Tinubu is not desirous to loot the treasures of Nigeria what of his alleged involvement in recent acquisitions of Agip by Oando and the furtherance of an arm of Oando (OVH) becoming the sole controller of NNPC retail business.
“Dangote is not allowed to announce his price to the public, he is not allowed to sell to Marketers directly – he is technically caged. The FG goes ahead to jack up price of PMS two days to Dangote Refinery selling PMS.
“It was a perfect plot to get Dangote to sell the product at a higher price than it should (which will give NNPC a window of profit margin when they eventually import fuel). Consumers’ interest were sacrificed on the altar of NNPC incompetence and corruption”.
“Who is the Minister of Petroleum today in Nigeria? Of course, Tinubu is the Minister of Petroleum! Who benefits immensely from the stark reality above, of criminal skyrocketing prices of petroleum products, confronting Nigerians; given the irrefutable conspiracy theories being perfected by the Federal Government and the top echelon of NNPC, a satanic situation that has put Nigerians in a big mess?”
“Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre hereby uses this medium to challenge Nigerians to continuously demand transparency and accountability not only from President Bola Tinubu as he manages the affairs of the Ministry of Petroleum, but consistently agitate by embarking on peaceful protests, for the uncompromising drastic reduction in the pump prices of petroleum products.”
“Who is head of the criminal gang of sadistic looters currently presiding over the oil sector in our country? Ayodele Olawande should please answer us? Never in the history of this chequered nation has anyone made the most ruthless attempts to cripple our economy, and succeeded in bringing untold trauma on our people, like Bola Tinubu”.
