Maina the miner with the Manna

Once upon a time a village employed a miner named Maina to help mine the people's sweat that was frozen in a rock. What an easy job, miner got to work and in the twinkling of an eye had manna worth N200 billion in his kitty. Listening to Asa's song 'fire on the mountain' one early morning, Maina dashed for a safer clime to enjoy his loot.

So goes the story of Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force Team, Abdulrasheed Maina who fled the country recently. But members of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday have joined forces with the Senate to ask for the sack of  Maina the miner with the Manna.

Speaker, Hon Aminu Tambuwal asked the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar to produce Maina, to answer questions on how over N200 billion pension fund was allegedly mismanaged.

No one should blame the president or who in his right mind will be able to fight corruption or petty theft when his wife was dead for 7 days and had 9 surgeries in a month.

Maina is not the only one with the people's commonwealth, the  Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) , Mr Mutiu Sunmonu, said in Abuja on Tuesday that Nigeria lost six  billion dollars yearly to crude oil theft. And two armed men on a motorbike, on Tuesday waylaid a man later discovered to be  the cashier of Makurdi local government council, carting away over N6million.

If anyone is thinking the petrol price will remain at N110 or N97, depending on what part of the Nigerian map you live, then such should think twice, because Dr Bright Okogu , Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, said in Abuja on Tuesday that continued payment  by the Federal Government for  subsidy on  petroleum products was no longer sustainable.

"We need to re-address the issue of subsidy provision. The volume of money we are losing to subsidy payment is enormous. “The people benefiting from the subsidy provision are not the common man on the street,’’ Okogu said.

So, O ye common man, it's time for you to benefit from the national cake, just at N200 per litre of fuel (just joking, it wont be more than N187).

I know so many of you will never understand but Okogu has this for you “If you are in my shoes as director of budget, you would understand why we cannot continue to pay subsidy,’’.

For those who think they can arm-twist the government into legalising operations of illegal refineries, Jonah John said, it is a lie.

The last time the Federal  Government tried to quell a burning fire, a whole village was levelled and Odi almost became history but a High Court in Port Harcourt has ordered the FG to pay N37.6bn as compensation to victims of the military invasion of Odi community in Bayelsa State. The court ordered that a special damage of N17.6bn and a general damage of N20bn be paid to the community as compensation.

Even if the house is burning or there is robbery somewhere, he who is hungry will always say. So, what did you have for valentine? Chicken and roses? You are lucky! Not contented with the voice of the man who picked his lover's phone on Val, Makati decided to have a taste of her ears.

And if you belief all these are indices of a failed state, Doyin Okupe said, Nay! .