Francis Sadhere/Christopher Odama
As the nation continue to groan under the pervasive fuel crisis that has brought economic activities into a standstill, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief (Col.) Etoromi Satchie (Rtd) has blamed the nation’s woo on the activities of some few ‘cabals’ who he said are trying to frustrate the good works of the outgoing government.
Chief Etoromi, who made this statement yesterday in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Warri, noted that unless something drastic is done to curtail the activities of these cabals, the present situation may run the nation aground, adding that only prayers can save the country from this present predicament.
Etoromi, a retired army officer, noted that one of the reasons why Nigerians are suffering untold hardship was because the people have refused to change their attitudes, saying that unless corruption and the “Nigerian Factor” is tackled headlong, the country will continue to go down.
He said: “We have to change that negative approach to issues that are common with all Nigerians otherwise called “Nigerian Factor” before we could move forward. The problem we are facing in this country is systemic. The whole system has to be overhauled and replaced with people with integrity otherwise the issue of fighting corruption that we are talking about will be a mirage.”
Etoromi further called for total removal of fuel subsidy, saying that its removal was long overdue because it was only few people that are feeding fat from it to the detriment of Nigerians.
He also fingered staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) who he said were working in connivance with the oil cabals to frustrate efforts of the Federal Government to sanitize the petroleum sector, adding that it was unfortunate for Nigeria to find itself in this mess caused by a few individual in the country.
While advising the incoming government to be headed by President-Elect, General Mohammadu Buhari, Chief Eteromi said that Buhari must make past leaders and other Nigerians who have stolen the nation’s wealth to return the stolen money just as former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he was going to return some money to Nigeria.
He said politics should be made less attractive if the nation wants to succeed and develop like other developed countries in the world, regretting that Nigerian politicians were only interested in the money they were going to get when they assume office.
“Majority of Nigerians should be willing to change their attitudes if we want change. Politics should be made less attractive. Nigerians should learn to be discipline and morally upright in all their dealings. Our leaders should be willing to change because it is only when the leaders are willing to change that the followers will do the same,” said Etoromi.
On the inability of our refineries not working to optimal capacity, Chief Etoromi blamed successive leaders who he said lack the political will to implement various policies that would have seen the resuscitation of our refineries. He said the same people who are supposed to advise the president were the same people that were keeping the country in bondage.
Etoromi aslo blamed politicians for frustrating the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law, saying that Nigerian lawmakers were conniving with a few cabals to ensure that the bill does not see the light of the day because of their selfish interests.
He said: “This bill is supposed to make all the oil producing committees happy as they will benefit greatly from oil exploration and exploitation in their backyards. But these legislators are collecting bribes from these oil cabals to kill the bill. The PIB is what other oil producing countries in world are enjoying and I do not see any reason why Nigeria should be different. All these are as a result of greed and unless Nigerians accept to be their brother’s keeper, the country will not move forward.”
