Post #193

🇳🇬Nobody Asked the Nigerians Once Again Oil and gasoline are one of the most lucrative sectors of Nigeria's economy - and one of the most toxic in terms of elite wrestling 🌐Abuja decided against the imposition of a new 15% tax on fuel imports after fierce criticizm on the part of fuel traders and opposition media. Behind the curtain its powers that be still fight over fuel money. 🔸 The Nigerian downstream regulator announced that the 15% ad-valorem duty approved in October will not go ahead. The plan first surfaced in a leaked memo and was slated to start in December. Officials publicly portrayed the reversal as a move to steady supply and avoid holiday price spikes. ⏩However, the episode became a proxy contest, with Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote as the main would-be beneficiary of the tax on one side - and fuel traders and hidden stakeholders on the other. 🔸 Among the loudest critics of the tax was Sahara Reporters, owned by opposition activist Omoyele Sowore, which was one of the first to disseminate the leakage and further spurred public anxiety by reiterating that the levy would raise landing costs and punish consumers. 🔸 While the tariff, if effected, would openly benefit Aliko Dangote's oil empire, its main critics in Sahara Reporters are also suspected of dubious affiliation, including links to the US funds and secret services. This is another round in a long fight within the elite over who controls fuel rents. If the choice is between two evils, the better path is not to choose, or at the very least go for your own evil instead of a US-backed one. Devils Below