How I mobilised Ogun people against Obasanjo’s subsidy removal — Oshiomhole

Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has recalled how he mobilised residents of Ogun State to protest the removal of petrol subsidy under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Oshiomhole, who was President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the time, spoke on Sunday at the seventh national discourse organised by The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions, at the University of Lagos.

The event, themed ‘Nigeria’s Political Landscape and The Ethno-Religious Divides’, was chaired by former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau

Recalling his opposition to the subsidy removal under Obasanjo, Oshiomhole said he travelled to Abeokuta, Ogun State, to rally residents against the policy

He explained that his opposition was driven by concerns that the government lacked the capacity and infrastructure to ensure that the benefits of subsidy removal would reach ordinary Nigerians.

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“All I tried to do when I was NLC President, for example, was to go to Abeokuta and say to Abeokuta people, ‘This subsidy Baba wants to take, he can take it, but he cannot return it to the poor because they claim it is wasteful. They will take it and do something for the poor,’” Oshiomhole said.

“He has the capacity to take, but he doesn’t have the enabling capacity to distribute it because certain infrastructure you need for such distribution are absent.”

The senator said he subsequently mobilised people in Ogun State, including Senator Afolabi Salisu, to protest against the policy.

“To prove [this to] the people, I got Ogun people, including Afolabi, to go on strike against Obasanjo. When we organised those protests, even the University of Lagos (UNILAG) workers and the students joined us,” he said.

Oshiomhole added that some university officials who appeared neutral during the protests privately supported the agitation.

“Only the vice-chancellor and the HODs pretended to be neutral, but in private, they agreed that if the battles succeed, they too will benefit for four years,” he said.

He further recalled that some Nigerians who opposed his position at the time have now complained about the rising cost of petrol.

“Now, everybody is saying, ‘I can’t pay N100,000 for one litre, how much is my salary?’ I have seen those who used to lecture me about wastage, diversion, better deployment of resources, I have seen them now speaking my language,” he said.

“But I told them, no, we’ve moved on, forward ever, backward never.

Speaking on ethnicity and politics, Oshiomhole said ethnic identity should not determine political participation in a democracy.

“In my view, there is no such thing as ethnic right because within every ethnic group, you have the oppressor and the oppressed. You have the good, the bad and the ugly. And you also have people of diverse religions,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to focus on the ideas and values political candidates bring rather than their ethnic backgrounds.

“Let’s compete for power not on the basis of where you come but on the basis of the ideas and values you bring. That way, we will build a united country,” Oshiomhole said.