TOM Advises Gov Adeleke To Close Schools Until Fuel Scarcity Is Resolved

-Threatens Protest

By Omowumi Ajibogun, Osogbo

A coalition of like-minded Civil Society Organizations in Osun Osun, The Osun Masterminds (TOM), on Tuesday, kicked against the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.

TOM while expressing concerns over the challenge many parents and students are facing in the course of transiting to their various schools, said students had to return home being unable to get to their respective schools due to the shortage of public transportation.

Addressing the April edition of their press conference on the state of the nation and state, Executive Director, The Osun Masterminds, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, called on the state government to close down schools while the issue of fuel scarcity that had destabilized economic activities are being resolved in the state.

Oyedokun-Alli noted that the situation has crippled business activities as workers and informal sector operators are unable to get to their places of work.

“In just a few days of this meaningless fuel scarcity, Nigerians have faced one of the toughest experiences of their lives. Students have had to return home, unable to get to their respective schools due to shortage of public transportation. The economy is getting crippled by the day as workers and informal sector operators are also unable to get to their places of work.

“We recommend the shutting down of schools maybe for a few weeks while this scarcity lasts to avoid the children and their parents suffering unduely.

“In the midst of all of these, the power situation in recent times have been the worst Nigerians have experienced in recent history. Yet, government has not made any clear statements about the worsening situations across the power and petroleum industries. This is grossly irresponsible.

“We demand as a group that the Federal government acts immediately to solve all the problems pertaining to epileptic power supply and fuel scarcity, to stop the untold hardship that Nigerians are currently going through. We cannot be living like slaves in our own country, under a democratic governance.

“If solving the current hardship requires that some government officials be sacked, government must take that decisive action now.

“Government must also immediately tell Nigerians what the state of the Port-Harcourt Refinery is.

“Promises upon promises have been made to make the Nation’s refineries start work in no distant time, with the added promise that this will crash the price of petroleum products in the country. Nigerians are waiting for the actualization of these promises and must not be made to wait for too long.

“The Federal Government must act responsibly and make good the promises it made on the power and petroleum sectors, failing which Nigerians may be forced to take to the streets to protest the current mismanagement of our critical sectors.

“This also leads us to a call on the Osun State Government, and other States in the Federation, to immediately take charge of the State’s electricity regulation, with decisive steps like the recent one the Ekiti State Government took with the launch of an Electricity Regulatory Agency.

“It is high time the States took charge of the delivery of electricity to their people, to ensure development in their respective domains. Osun State must take this step as soon as possible, as it cannot be left behind in this critical area, especially at this time when the electricity situation in the State is at the worst it has ever been.”