Gradually, the Russia-Ukraine war has become a global concern, causing many Ukrainians and foreign nationals in the country to flee to neighbouring countries, under very agonising circumstances. It’s better imagined because Eavesdropper even learnt that the situation was more critical than what was seen in some viral videos, especially in the early days. Nigerians are no less affected. Some have been so distraught that they keep asking themselves why they didn’t flee the troubled country early enough.
The Oga patapata for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed that there were about 8,000 Nigerians in Ukraine, including the about 5,600 of them that are registered. Don’t ask Eavesdropper about the remaining 2,400. Since Russia’s Vladimir Putin ordered the offensive on February 24, about 352 persons, including 14 children, have been killed. A lot more have been injured. Reports put that at 1,684, out of which 116 were children.
That said, one would expect Mr Presido and his officials who didn’t act with dispatch in rescuing Nigerians when it was safer and less stressful to show some solidarity, but what did we see? Before we could say Jack Robinson, he was on the plane to Kenya for an event, where he could have been represented. From there, he was to head for London for medical attention where he would spend about two weeks. Well, he changed his plans and would now spend two days with us before going to London. He didn’t go to Kenya alone o; he went with some of the officials that should oversee the evacuation of Nigerians from Ukraine, including Onyeama and the chairmo of NIDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa. There are others, but let’s leave them out of this conversation. Some Nigerians have murmured their reservations to Eavesdropper over Oga’s globetrotting, even when we are in crisis, but what can one do?
NNPC and the 1.7 billion litres
Sometimes, when people express deep distrust about the people in government and some of their claims, one would almost sound like a pessimist or what we popularly call bad belle. Anyway, Eavesdropper is open to new names.
But how does one reconcile the claim by the NNPC that it had over one billion litres of petrol in stock with the fuel scarcity that has become extremely chaotic? So, where is the fuel? Or did the NNPC have it in view? I’ll try and concede that the Russia-Ukraine war could impede the arrival of the two billion litres promised by the end of February, but what happened to the one billion litres and the officials that put us in this mess through their dereliction of duty? Some people imported methanol-filled petrol and heads have not rolled? Will heads ever roll in this country?
Across major cities and even the hinterlands, the fuel scarcity has become a deep chaos, with queues snaking through major roads, and causing traffic gridlock in some places. So, in a traffic-ridden city like Lagos now, you struggle to buy fuel, only to burn half of it in traffic. Na life be dat one?
First, the President left Nigerians in this mess and travelled, without even addressing our concerns. Eavesdropper is thinking aloud; do our leaders even know the impact of leaders showing solidarity and standing with their people in times of trouble? I don’t think so. I kuku hope Nigerians have learnt some lessons.
Eavesdropper, why did you write The Buharis in your headline sef? It’s because while General travelled to Kenya, his wife went to Dubai to celebrate her birthday. Such a disregard for a people! At home, the traumatised people they claim to be leading are battling excruciating heat wave, there is no fuel to put in their generator, Discos have held on to their light while bandits, nay terrorists, and kidnappers are having a nice time, killing people as they please. All that Eavesdropper would say is that ‘There is God!’
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