Policy and Public Affairs Analyst Olusesan Okunade has criticised the federal government of Nigeria for creating a trust gap that has made it impossible for citizens to have faith in the country’s policies. Okunade stated this during a live appearance on News Central TV’s Breakfast Central on Friday when he was asked to share how he felt about the federal government’s announcement that the Port Harcourt Refinery had commenced operations.
According to him, the news was nothing to be excited about, as previous records have shown that the government could not be trusted to execute policies effectively with visible results.
“We have no confidence in the government, so there is nothing to about the Port Harcourt Refinery commencing operations.
“We have had instances in the past where the government publicised news of certain things, but we never saw them commence operations.
“It is not about announcing that operations have commenced, it is about the results.
“It is a good development, however, I am not excited until I see the impact of the Port Harcourt Refinery in Nigeria,” he said.
Bridging the Information Dissemination Gap
Okunade commented on the attitude of the government towards information dissemination on critical matters affecting citizens.
He decried the resounding silence of the government over the affairs of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery which was commissioned six months ago, adding that no results have been seen since operations commenced.
“The government should be intentional about providing information, to bridge the trust gap with the citizens.
“Dangote refinery got the first 1 million barrels, we didn’t feel the impact. Now they are getting another one. The government should be providing us with information so that citizens can follow up with what is happening at the refinery.
“The trust deficit keeps building up because of the way the government implements some of the things we consider as good policies.
“Talk is cheap. They talk about commencing operations, yet not a single barrel has been sighted,” he said.
The analyst urged the government to put in place an inclusive policy that will directly benefit every citizen of the country.
He expressed disappointment in the way the government is handling the affairs of the country, pointing out that people were facing untold hardships due to poor leadership decisions.
“Nigerians are suffering. We expected that the advent of this information would bring relief, but we are not seeing results.
“We are in the festive season, and there’s still traffic in Lagos. People didn’t travel because the cost of transportation is high,” he said.
The Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited commenced operations on Wednesday, December 20. The refinery has a combined capacity of 210,000 barrels per day.
