Former governor of Ekiti state Kayode Fayemi has acknowledged that the protest that followed the elimination of fuel subsidies in 2012 under President Goodluck Jonathan’s government was mostly motivated by political concerns.
Fayemi made this statement while addressing at a national forum held in Abuja to honor Professor Udenta Udenta, the founding National Secretary of the Alliance for Democracy and Fellow of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, who turned 60 years old.
Jonathan, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former minister of education, and Osita Chidoka, a former minister of aviation, were among those present at the event.
According to TheNigerian, President Jonathan declared the end of fuel subsidies on January 1, 2012, and increased the price of gasoline at the pump from N65 per litre to N141.
The ruling provoked widespread demonstrations in major Nigerian cities under the banner of “Occupy Nigeria.” Following demonstrations that lasted for more than a week, the price was later changed to N97.
The All Progressives Congress leaders who were then in various opposition parties, such as the now-defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressives Congress, All Nigeria Peoples Party, and All Progressive Grand Alliance, were particularly critical of Jonathan for the fuel price adjustment.
Fayemi criticized Nigeria’s democracy, calling it a “winners take all” system, and asserted that the country cannot overcome its current problems unless it adopts proportional representation, in which the winners and losers of elections divide the spoils equally.
He claimed that it was under Jonathan’s leadership that Nigeria’s economy last saw growth.
He said: “Today, I read former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s interview in The Cable, and I agree with him that our liberal democracy needs to be reviewed. From the political alternatives, we must depart. I believe that’s where we’re almost at a standstill.
“Alternative politics are what we need, and by my definition of alternative politics, you can’t win with 35% of the vote and take 100%. It won’t function! We need to consider proportional representation so that the party that supposedly received 21% of the vote will control 21% of the government. Division and animosity result from adversary politics.
“All of the nation’s major parties concurred, and they even stated in their manifestos that subsidies must be eliminated. Subsidies must be eliminated, we all agreed. However, in 2012, we in ACN knew the truth, Sir, and that it was all about politics.
“As a result, we must put an end to all of these to make sure that everyone is an important stakeholder. Let the PDP, APC, and Labour Party manifestos be on the table, and choose all of the program’s pilots from all of the parties, Fayemi added.
