PRIVATIZATION: A BREACH OF CONFIDENCE REPOSED ON THE GOVERNMENT

Governments must deliver essential services, including healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social welfare, to their citizens. However, in contemporary times, when a government falls short in providing these vital services, there is a tendency to shift responsibility to private sector leaders, acknowledging that private entities may demonstrate superior management capabilities.

This inability to adequately fulfil obligations, coupled with a delayed recognition that others outside government may be more effective, should prompt government officials to reassess their legitimacy in wielding authority.

While claiming to possess strong management skills to secure electoral votes, they face a contradiction when they later concede their inability to effectively manage the economy, thereby undermining the trust placed in them by the electorate.

Instead of relinquishing their hold on authority, they often act on the late acknowledgement that the private sector may operate more efficiently than government-managed enterprises, which results in the privatization of critical industries—essentially delegating responsibilities to individuals who were not elected by the populace.

It is essential to recognize the significant drawbacks of relying on the private sector. This includes the potential for profit-driven decision-making, disparities in access to services, job losses, increased costs for consumers, and a deficiency of accountability and transparency in the management of essential services. Given these drawbacks, this transfer of duties by politicians is a violation of their contract with the people.

It raises the question of why those campaigning for electoral support are not proficient individuals equipped with the necessary resources, expertise, and innovation to successfully manage and deliver essential services.***

SOKARI LAMENTS OIL-PRODUCING REGION’S UNFAIR CIRCUMSTANCES

Samuel Marshall

Strongman Sokari Soberekon has expressed concerns regarding the inequitable situation in which a child whose mother sells ‘akara’ is required to pay the same price for the snack as a stranger. He drew a parallel to the unfair circumstances faced by owners of petroleum resources, who must pay the same prices for their products as external consumers.

Speaking to the Newswriter on Monday, 9th September 2024, the Niger Delta activist reminisced about his protest in 1991 against the official increase in petrol price from 9 and a half kobo to 15 kobo per litre – a hike which was harsh and painful but anticipated to usher in prosperity. He expressed his astonishment at the gradual rise in price to as high as N855 per litre, today, emphasizing that this escalation has not led to the promised prosperity.

Soberekon condemned the practice of imposing the same charges on both owners and buyers, alike, along with the related price increases, and called for a reevaluation of the unviable economic policies that the government has upheld for decades under the misguided belief in future prosperity.

The elder statesman urged traditional rulers to immediately devise lawful strategies to re-establish their roles as custodians of the land and its resources, advocating for a return to indigenous people-oriented governance principles, which have proven more effective in addressing systemic issues.***