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Faruq2019
Oil Marketers Worry About Possible Unrest When Prices Rebound
Petroleum marketers have urged the Federal Government to take decisive steps in addressing deregulation concerns in the downstream sector to avoid a civil unrest that may arise when oil prices rebound.According to the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), a similar protest like the #ENDSARS might become inevitable if legal framework or an enabling legislation backing deregulation like the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is not initiated.Oil prices have continued to hover between $40-$42 per barrel within the last few weeks with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and other market analysts expressing cautious optimism on oil rebound till the end of the year.
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Faruq2019
Buhari Under Attack Over Lekki Massacre
The Presidency, yesterday, came under attack from former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka over Tuesday’s shooting of ENDSARS protesters by the Nigerian Army at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said it had already dragged President Mohammad Buhari’s government and the military before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the matter.
Scores of protesters were killed as shooters believed to be officers of the Nigerian military opened fire on hundreds of youths keeping vigil at the Lekki tollgate to demand an end to police brutality. Many were also wounded. Still on rampage over the killing irate youths, yesterday, embarked on massive destruction of national and state-owned assets across the country.The worst hit was Lagos, which lost a handful of assets, including some newly commissioned state-owned bus terminals, some media outfits and at least two more police stations. Governor Sanwo-Olu’s fa,ily house was also attacked.Obasanjo, in a statement, blamed Buhari for the killing of #EndSARS protesters. He insisted that Buhari and his “lieutenants†did not exhaust all opportunities for dialogue with the protesters before resorting to use of force.
The former President said it was regrettable that Buhari used brute force to further anger the youths.
Obasanjo’s statement titled, “Violence Against Protesters in Nigeria: An Appeal for Calm,†was made available to journalists through his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta yesterday.He, however, enjoined protesting youths in the country to give peace a chance as they go about making their legitimate demands.Obasanjo expressed sadness over the shooting of the protesters by the Nigerian Army and the ongoing destruction of properties by the angry youths.
The former President urged Buhari to address the youths and accede to their demands before things get out of control.Reminiscent of the highhandedness of the late military dictator, General Sani Abacha between 1993 and 1998, Professor Soyinka, in his written position, said the country was back to the “Abacha years.â€â€œIt is absolutely essential to let this government know that the Army has now replaced SARS in the demonic album of the protesters,†Soyinka insisted. “My enquiry, so far, indicates that the Lagos governor did not invite in the Army, did not complain of a ‘breakdown in law and order.’ Nevertheless, the Centre has chosen to act in an authoritarian manner and has inflicted a near incurable wound on the community psyche.â€Soyinka said it would be “pathetic and unimaginative to claim, as some have done,†that the continued protests hurt the nation’s economy, especially as COVID-19 has battered the Nigerian economy for more than eight months.“Of course, it is not easy to bring down COVID under a hail of bullets – human lives are easier target, and there are even trophies to flaunt as evidence of victory – such as the blood-soaked Nigerian flag that one of the victims was waving at the time of his murder,†he said.Denouncing the 24-hour curfews imposed by some state governors, Soyinka advised the affected governors to take immediate step by demanding withdrawal of those soldiers and to convoke Town Hall meetings as a matter of urgency.