Today, kerosine sold for 200 naira per litre. Ten hundred naira per gallon. This is a country that the poor has no place, even when there is an agency charged with poverty eradication (NAPEP?) and Ministry of Poverty Alleviation in some States. What is going on?
In this town, kerosine is hardly seen in filling stations and you cannot buy the commodity at the official pump price of 50 naira per litre. Only the black market thrives and everybody that can do something watches.
Our government that has every reason to help has failed to help, even after NTA has broadcasted the news of our problems to the nation. The FGN has neither ears nor hands in it.
We live in a town where the trees are treasured for the shades under the blazing sun that can drive the ambient temperature above 40oC. In desperation, people cut our shady trees in search of firewood. No kerosine, no cooking, but the trees come to our rescue.
As the trees disappear, the wind breakers give way to the fast moving winds from the north of Africa. The desert encroaches as fast as we create the enabling environment. I guess the government expects the scenario in order to have reason to set up a commission for the prevention of desert encroachment and mount campaigns for tree planting.
FGN watches as the sahel is threatened by sand duns which take over the farmlands and bring famine to the doorsteps of those they have sworn to cater for. Anyway, if there is no food to cook, no firewood burns. A country in a vicious circle because of stupid politics. Can we rebrand?
No comments:
Post a Comment