*Mr. Tony Elumelu, CON, businessman, boardroom technocrat and philanthropist, urges Nigerians to 鈥榙emand and advocate for leaders that deliver鈥� Nigeria must be on a strong trajectory for progress and development鈥�

Isola Moses | 绿帽献妻

Sequel to recent socio-economic dislocations the citizens have experienced largely due to fuel scarcity, blackouts, and attendant high prices of products and services, Mr. Tony Elumelu, CON, a businessman, boardroom technocrat and philanthropist, has lamented the impacts of poor power supply and fuel shortage on Nigerians and businesses.

绿帽献妻 reports Elumelu, who is also Chairman of UBA Plc, Transcorp and Heir Holdings, in a tweet Thursday, March 17, 2022, wondered how the country would be so rich with resources yet unable to deliver quality services to its long-suffering people.

While 聽urging Nigerian consumers to hold their leaders accountable, he stated that the prevailing hardships should provoke them to elect 鈥榖etter leaders鈥� in 2023.

Elumelu also noted: 鈥淓lections are coming, security and resources need to be everyone鈥檚 agenda. Let鈥檚 be vocal for our nation鈥檚 priority.

鈥淓vil prevails when good people are silent. We need to be vocal about 2023. Let鈥檚 focus on Nigeria. Demand and advocate for leaders that deliver.

鈥淚n 2023, Nigeria must be on a strong trajectory for progress and development.鈥�

His reaction to the prevailing socio-economic realities in Nigeria of recent is said to have derived from distressing situations Nigerians have faced over fuel shortages since February 2022, after importing substandard fuel, resulting in weeks of severe scarcity and long queues at filling stations across the country.

The fuel shortage has seen transport costs rise, thereby affecting goods and commodities .

Reports as well indicated that several parts of the country have been without electricity for days after the national grid collapsed, as several businesses have closed shop as the cost of diesel skyrockets.

Elumelu also criticised the government鈥檚 inability to checkmate oil theft that has seen production fall.

He further wrote: 鈥淭his morning (Thursday), I am listening to my colleagues at the office bemoan the very pressing issues that they face every day in this country, and how things have been getting worse and worse with no electricity for 5 days, hikes in the price of diesel, frightening food inflation, etc.

鈥淗ow can a country so rich in natural resources have 90 per cent of its citizens living in hardship and poverty? I have often said that access to electricity is critical for our development, alleviation of poverty and hardship. And speaking of security, our people are afraid.鈥�

According to him, 鈥渂usinesses are suffering. How can we be losing over 95 percent of oil production to thieves?

鈥淟ook at the Bonny Terminal (in Rivers State) that should be receiving over 200k barrels of crude oil daily, instead, it receives less than 3,000 barrels, leading the operator at Shell to declare force majeure.鈥�

Elumelu added: 鈥淲hy are we paying taxes if our security agencies can鈥檛 stop this? It is clear that the reason Nigeria is unable to meet its OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) production quota is not because of low investment but because of theft, pure and simple.

鈥淥il-producing countries are smiling as their foreign reserves are at risk. What is Nigeria鈥檚 problem? We need to hold our leaders more accountable.鈥�

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