Being text of a speech by President Olusegun Obasanjo at the inauguration of the Independent Consolidating Committee for Cushioning Measures in Abuja on October 11, 2004.

In my October 1st 2004 independence message to the nation, I referred to a Committee on Cushioning Measures that had been established to mediate the impact of high petroleum product prices. I also stated that decisions of government were not initiated to deliberately inflict pain on the citizenry but to address the mistakes, carelessness and recklessness of the past, while building a sound foundation for the future.

At the Government level, a Committee was set up under the Minister of Finance to consider possible measures in this regard. I had hoped that the recommendations of that Committee would be available for inclusion in my presentation of the 2005 Budget to the National Assembly tomorrow, Tuesday 12th of October 2004. But the present situation has called for an enlargement of such a Committee to include as many stakeholders as possible.

Let me reiterate once again that this Administration has never arrogated to itself all knowledge or that it was all knowing; we never attempted to play God and we believe that no individual or groups of individual whether elected, appointed, selected or self-proclaimed should play God in our society either by action or by pronouncement. We have never fought shy of seeking advice, seeking dialogue or positive compromise or considering dialogue. But some people, for their own selfish interest and self-centredness are trying to portray this Administration in bad light. We were elected for the good of Nigeria for today and tomorrow. We will be irresponsible to forget the future and the successor generation. Only a bad father thinks of himself while alive and not of his off-springs. In doing that such a father will be seen as wicked and irresponsible.

What has brought us here today is to assure Nigerians, irrespective of class, profession, gender, and political interest that we need to have all hands on deck for the progress and advancement of our country. As a government, we are ready to listen. We have the mandate of Nigerians to guard and protect the interest of Nigerians and to guide and influence the society. That is what leadership is all about.

Leadership is not just about power, strength, courage, efficiency and effectiveness. It is also about compassion, dialogue, vision, mobilisation, and spirituality. We know these values and we have been committed to them since we were elected into office.

Most leaders in the world who had been reformers have been often misunderstood, not by strangers but mostly by their own people when they were executing needed and desirable reforms. Most leaders that experienced such misunderstanding have in the end been lucky to be vindicated. Some have not been so lucky. For us it will not be that we failed to do what we should have done at the right time, in the short and medium terms in the interest of Nigeria.

Rather, we want it to be said of us that when we had the opportunity, we considered the totality of the interest of the country and its people and the place of Nigeria in the comity of nations and we left no stone unturned in our efforts to restructure and reposition our country for stability, progress, growth, development and democracy and for its due place on the global plane. We want it remembered that we did everything possible, without compromising the dignity of our people, to actualise the potentials of Nigeria and the role and place that God has destined for us in Africa and the world.

Populist options may be sweet but they do not endure and may not build for tomorrow. Cosmetic programmes and diversionary strategies may satisfy short-term or immediate constituencies and yearnings, but the society at large would pay the cost at the end. That has been our experience in the past. Postponing the evil day is escapist and unfair to the dreams, hopes aspirations, and sacrifices of a people that want to lay viable foundations for growth, development and overall improvement in their living conditions.

We believe that tough decisions must be taken when necessary but must also be mediated with cushioning measures as necessary. Hence this Committee.

This government has taken tough decisions on privatisation and deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and we do know that these decisions will cause some temporary hardships on the generality of our people. As we have shown in the past, in the long run, as we have witnessed in telecommunications, the benefits will be there for all to enjoy.

The function of this Committee therefore is to collate, harmonise and coordinate measures that will be agreed to bring about short-term relief and medium-term positive impact on the effect of high oil prices.

Let me thank all of you who have agreed to serve on this committee and as I see it, this is service to the nation. Let me also call on you and on all Nigerians to assist the work of the Committee by providing it with suggestions and ideas that will enable it perform its assignment meritoriously and comprehensively. It is my hope that the Committee will bring about useful recommendations that will inform far-reaching, viable, and holistic policy and programme options for government.

I thank you and may God continue to bless Nigeria.

Being text of a speech by President Olusegun Obasanjo at the inauguration of the Independent Consolidating Committee for Cushioning Measures in Abuja on October 11, 2004.