There are not many posts I have read on social media in recent times that are as empty and flat out senseless as the recent trending post by Reno Omokri.
He claimed amongst other things that Nigeria is oil poor (not oil rich), that we are a nation of entitled people, that we are not a tax paying nation, compared to countries in Europe, and that we are depriving government from raising the much needed income to run the country.
I understand that folks like Reno are trying their hardest best to get themselves positions in the current government, but this latest attempt at bootlicking is a plot taken too far.
The tax regime in most European countries is the progressive tax system which is also called the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) tax system. In the UK for example, your first ~ £12700 is tax free, you get taxed at 20% (basic tax rate) between £12,800 and ~£50,000 and from ~ > £50,000£ to £5125,000 it is 45% also called the high tax rate, etc. so the claim that the tax in Europe is 45% flat rate is false and unfounded. Reno wants you to believe that if it were in Europe, you will part with 45% of your minimum wage of NGN70,000 to government, he is lying, period!
The point is that, there’s nothing like an “oil poor nation”. The phrase has been contrived by an inept government to cover for their failures. Most nations of the world have no natural resources and have thrived and continue to do so through services and industrialisation – the United Kingdom being a prime example.
We are also not a nation of entitled people. A country where the average citizen provides his own water, generates his own electricity, pay for medical care, drives on the worst possible roads and provides his own security (to mention a few) cannot be described as an entitled people. What then would this charlatan call citizens of nations who receive welfare benefits, earn subsides in energy through winter, receive free medical care, receive free quality education through secondary school etc?
Reno Omokri (whose only claim to fame is a photograph he took with former prime minister, Boris Johnson) has proven time and time again that he doesn’t get it, but what surprises me is why anyone takes his opinion seriously.
It is not as if there is no solution to the present petrol price crisis. Why can’t the government provide the required crude for local consumption at reduced rates for local refining since we now have functioning refineries in the country? If we find that 450 barrels are required for daily local consumption, we can send that much at a reduced price to Dangote for local refining rather than importing finished products into the country. We do not only export our jobs when we do that, we also pile pressure on the naira. It is not novel, it is also not rocket science!
A few greedy folks who are benefiting from petrol importation are hell bent on destroying our country and we know who they are. When we are ready, we will fix our country.
Emmanuel Ushie, a Cross Riverian, writes in from Newark Upon Trent, Nottingham, in the United Kingdom.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Emmanuel Ushie, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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