It’s crazy to spend $8bn on fuel importation – Ben Bruce

Federal government came under a heavy knock from the Chairman of
Silver Bird Group, Ben Bruce , when he lashed out on the government
for spending $8 billion on fuel importation annually.
Bruce was speaking in Abuja at the launching of a book entitled "Why
Run Before Learning To Walk", written by Professor Turner Isoun and
Miriam Isoun .
He attributed the ongoing Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU
strike in the country to lack of fund, which he said was a direct
implication of the $8 billion spent by federal government annually on
fuel importation and called for total removal of oil subsidy to enable
government tackle other critical needs.
"The reason why Nigeria is broke is because we spend $8 billion a
year, to buy patrol that generates smoke. We need to address that
issue, a lot of our problems are self inflicting. The laziness of some
people in government in government must come to an end. The expensive
life style, popping of Champaign must stop. We must go back to the
era of creativity.
"When people are poor, they struggle to become rich, when people have
nothing, they dream and think and use their imagination. Rich people
are not going to be next NollyWood stars. They have money and
resources. The stars of this country are going to come from Ajegunle,
poor homes, single parent homes, homes where they have no money, homes
where they have one meal a day. These are the kind of people we should
have in government with imagination," he noted.
Bruce further lambasted the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU
for complaining of poor funding, after opposing total removal of fuel
subsidy, saying, the union must be realistic in their demand rather
than playing to the gallery.
"When ASUU went on strike, they asked President, "why will you spend
$8 billion a year on fuel importation, when he could have spend it on
their welfare." When subsidy was removed, they opposed government
action for removing subsidy and is now demanding for better pay, you
can't oppose deregulation and on the other hand, demand for higher
pay" he stated.
The Silver Bird boss, who expressed disappointment with the way a
politicians spend public fund, called for adoption of renewable energy
and a paradigm shift from being a lazy and consuming nation to a
creative and manufacturing nation.
He also lambasted some state commissioners for investing public fund
in the importation of tricycle, which he said is a 150 years old
technology that should not be allowed into Nigeria, instead , he
advocated for adoption of latest and more efficient technologies that
would deliver better services to the people.
"The problem of this country can be solved, but too much money makes
us lazy and incompetent. We must have renewable energy. We have the
sun, so we should use solar power. We have what most people want and
therefore, we should use electric cars, and we will not spend $8
billion to import fuel every year.
"Right now, a lot of ministries, federal and states, have too much
money. President and governors should not give them any money. Too
much money makes them lazy and less money makes them use their
imagination and think."