Stop Panic, You Have Suffered Worse Than This Before — Adesina Tells Nigerians
Adesina says Stop Panic, You Have Suffered Worse Than This Before
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina says Nigerians will survive the current fuel scarcity.
Nigerians have been battling with fuel scarcity since February.
The scarcity is said to have been caused by the importation of adulterated fuel.
However, the Nigerian government had assured Nigerians that normalcy would soon return because it has enough fuel.
Adesina in his latest weekly article on Thursday titled “KNOCK, KNOCK. WHO’S THERE?” said that there were cases of bad fuel before in Nigeria and Nigerians survived.
He said, “Yet some other people have children, wards, dependents, relations in Ukraine, currently being bombarded by Russia. I have one, daughter of a family friend. When I spoke with her last week, she was hiding in a bunker, talking in whispers. But amidst it all, no fuel, no electricity, anxiety about Ukraine, general insecurity, Government continues to work.
“The Heavens won’t fall, and sanity would be restored. The current situation is called SNAFU: Situation Normal All Fouled Up. Normalcy will definitely return. “Be patient, my soul. Thou hath suffered worse than this.” (Thomas Holcroft). “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.” Psalm 42:5.
“President Muhammadu has promptly approved the sum of $8.5m for the evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine. Good. That’s what a responsible father does to family members in distress. He’s also working night and day, ensuring the country has fuel, power, infrastructure, and all the good things of life. Be patient my soul…
“Knock, Knock, Who’s there? Yes, do you remember the title of that book by James Hadley Chase that we read in the 70s and 80s? Were you old enough then? Do you also remember the song we used to listen and dance to then? Written by Aaron Schroeder and Sid Wayne, released in 1959 by Isley Brothers, and it became a global hit. Were you old enough then?
“I’m gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell Tap on your window too,
If you don’t come out tonight when the moon is bright. I’m gonna knock and ring and tap until you do.” Are you like King Lear at his gloomy worst? I’ve come to knock on your door. Are you saturnine and lugubrious ‘cos there’s no fuel, no light, no power? “Dem go reach bed power no dey, shuffering and shmiling ,” Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had sang long ago. “Be patient my soul, thou hath suffered worse than this.”
“There were cases of bad fuel before in this country. We slept for days, weeks on end at petrol stations, queuing for fuel. We survived. We will survive again. Las las.
“I’ve come to knock and ring and tap on your door today, to remind you that it is not all doom and gloom in our country. However overcast the sky is, there’s always a shimmer of light. And that was what we were shown a couple of weeks back, when the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, accompanied by Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, and their other counterparts addressed a town hall meeting on infrastructure financing and human capital development. It was like streaks of light in an overcast sky.”
