THE “ABC” OF THE OIL SUBSIDY!

Do you understand this entire brouhaha about the oil subsidy? Here it is in five easy steps. Step One: Pause right here and go and listen to Max Romeo’s reggae hit single “Tan and See.” Listen until you master the lyrics. Then sing along with good, old Romeo, “The more you look is the less you see, oh yea/The less you look is the more you see.” Good one! You are making progress. Do not seek to know more, stop right here and reach for roasted corn (mouth organ).?

Are you still here? I appreciate your interest in this matter! Good, bearing Step One in mind let us progress to Step Two: The entire issue is as simple as swallowing eba with a badly cooked edikang ikong soup. You may have problems pushing the eba down your throat, but if you close your eyes, and push harder, you would force the stubborn stuff down. Every subsidy, like eba, is good, it is the “soup” that spoils the eba. A subsidy, according to popular definition, is “a sum of money granted by the state or a public body to help an industry or business keep the price of a commodity or service low.” So, in a country which only subsidizes food meant for prisoners, subsidy is good, per se, for the those of us who are free.

Why it is bad is because men and women who ought to be in prison, enjoying government feeding subsidy, are still loose and have constituted themselves into a crime syndicate feeding off the subsidy. They have extended their slimy fingers into smuggling, and citizens of neighboring countries are benefitting from what was meant for us as subsidy. They have murdered sleep and Nigerians cannot sleep anymore.

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Step Three: The more government looks into this matter, the less it?sees. This is simply because the more you look at yourself in some mirrors the less of yourself you see. Government cannot get rid of these moonlighters because like the old Annang proverb goes, “the nose is too close to the eyes.” So for the sins of these pirates, the subsidy must go.?

Step Four: Romeo’s song again! Remember this line? “When your hand in the lion mouth, Me said me take time pull it out.” Though this may sounds like punishing Peter for the betrayal of Judas, and, at the same time, an indictment of our law enforcement agencies and entire security architecture, it takes a brave man to take a knockout punch and admit that he is a sucker. It takes a brave man to admit that his hand is in the lion’s mouth, and he does not want to fight the lion with the other hand. So? Government is in a dilemma. So what should government do?

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This brings us to Step Five: The song “Tan and See” concludes that when your hand is in the lion’s mouth, take time and pull it out. Romeo croons, “No need to jump and prance.” Past governments have been jumping and prancing, but this government says it does not want to jump and prance, it wants to take time and pull its hand (subsidy) out of the lion’s mouth. A good strategy, if the ravenous lion would not go for another kill, and if the sheep would not starve of pasture.?

So, what is our part in all of this brouhaha? All we can do is “tan” and “see.” Is the matter clearer now? If it is not clearer, I recommend that you?take a look at the video clip below and pray. God will help us.