THE AIR AND ARROGANT ATTITUDE OF SOME FOLK ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT BEMUSED

I follow many on Twitter/Instagram and many follow me in return. For instance I follow Barack Obama, and a particular Satguru. I learn a lot from these men.

On Obama, I believe he is in the league of Confucius and Socratis and Plato – albeit a modern-age variant. I infused a particular decorum and care when I watched Obama talk. I read every line of the texts in his books twice.

From this particular Satguru – I have gained so much mystical and or cosmic romance plus rare spiritualism.

For both men, here’s the thing; they listen to and accept arguments from the other person. They do not dismiss you as not ‘having a grasp of the subject’ or use other arrogant language to put you down; I have watched Obama field questions many times. If I have to ‘think into your position’ I must first accept that you made sense! I cannot humor you just to make you feel good.

For goodness sakes, I don’t see one ‘knowledge’ anyone on earth possessed that another man do not already have or can’t access. The difference is in the moment or circumstance such knowledge is applied. One can and should appreciate other’s intellect – that’s for sure. But an intellectual should be mindful of showboating or arrogance of knowing. Why? Because knowledge is like an inflated balloon which takes a tiny needle to burst. Or like a big tree that takes a small axe to cut down.

If we have to boast and put down people because we can string English language sentences better, or in a more flowery hue, how about other fields of study where we are as illiterate as the cave man? For instance, I can hold my own against any man in terms of the use of English language yet, proficient in three other professions and have degrees to prove so. I don’t even want to talk about international languages because I am proficient too, in more than two. But I will never push people around, telling them they don’t have ‘a grasp of the subject.’ I always try to peek into their opinion on the issue they responded to and made sense of it.

Which brings me to the main issue or reason for this Post.

Buhari ran for the Presidency for many years until fourth-time lucky. In all of that time preceding his eventual success at the polls he churned out the bane of Nigeria’s backwardness and how he intended to solve them. Main one is fighting corruption. Then security and economic stability, in that order.

He said about solving the queues witnessed in Nigerian cities over petroleum products, by fully rehabilitating the existing and then BUILDING NEW REFINERIES! He was pointed in telling us he’d ditch IMPORTATION of these products. No one expected him to do this overnight. Nigerians were ready to give him time to at least, get the existing refineries up at full flow, by which a new lease of life would be ushered. However, he did nothing of such, let alone clear a site to build an additional refinery!

What did he do? He upped the price of petroleum products by doubling the price he met. No one complained! We thought he needed the funds to start kickstarting our existing refineries. We waited. We waited. Then he upped the ante of IMPORTATION – a move he had condemned as CORRUPT under Jonathan. He then permanently shelved any plan to improve or build refineries and yet again, scaled up the price of these products!

And yes, the queues were gone. But at what price? Is it normal for a country with a glut of crude and 6th producing nation out of 95 countries, to sell off and buy finished products from a raw material you have in abundance? How can I possibly agree with a man who is ecstatic over the non-existence of queues in the circumstance, by which it came about? This is the kernel. Let’s take the following statistics…

The population of Oil Refineries in the world is 2,009 or thereabouts.

We have 4 refineries in Nigeria; 2 in Port-Harcourt, 1 in Kaduna and 1 in Warri. All moribund with no prospect or plan to build new ones. A country of over 200 million now awaits the refining company of one man – Dangote, to supply her petroleum products needs.

Oil refineries was created in 1954 and oil was discovered in Oloibiri, Nigeria in 1958.

There are over 120 refineries in Russia.

There are 9 major oil refineries in the UK.

As of 2010 there were 124 oil refineries producing fuel in the US and an additional 13.

There are 4 refineries in Pakistan. In fact, they had been importing and producing before they ever found oil at all there.

Singapore Refining Company Pte. Ltd. (SRC) purchases, refines and upgrades crude oil into main fuel products. The Company produces liquid carbon dioxide, liquefied petroleum gas, chemical naphtha, motor gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel, low sulphur fuel oil, bunker fuel oil, asphalt, and sulphur. SRC markets its products primarily in the Far East.

Why should a country of over 200 million people and which is No 6 in the oil producing index of the world not have one working refinery, and then thump her chest for not having queues by massive importation? Does it make any sense?!

How can a man now Post on their Wall that they ‘praise’ Buhari’s government for removing the queues, after trebling the price of products through importation and expect me to join or agree with them in such ‘praise?!’

What manner of ‘grasp of the subject’ can this be?! What logic?

Finally, I hope not every Nigerian have lost their memory when the self-same Buhari led many prominent Nigerians to protest in major cities, when Jonathan hiked the price of fuel and gave the reason of removing the queues. We all demonized Jonathan then. Now Buhari does it by applying the same method and we should praise his government for that? I doubt. This professor of ‘knowledge’ can bask in their knowledge all he wants with those ‘yes’ men. I will not join them! I will not ‘think into their position.

I will not buy a script or lesson from a professor who would not abide by the rules of the logic that he so espoused. Any fool can remove the fuel queues in Nigeria the way it is now, by applying the method Buhari’s government have used.

This professor can Post and bash us who hold a different view to his all he wants. He could call us illiterates all he wants. But my opinion stands like the Northern Star! My life does not depend on coming to his Wall. They can yank me off their list, for all I care!

Dr. Wilson Akpomedae Ozuem,

London (UK).