MR PRESIDENT MUST SEE THIS FILM!

The nationwide protest that brought the country to a standstill, owing to government's decision to remove the fuel subsidy early this year has been recaptured in a film titled'Fueling Poverty.'

The 20-minutes documentary, due to be premiered at Silvabird Cinema, Abuja on November  29 highlights issues over  the January fuel price hike following the subsidy withdrawal and the hardship occasioned by the said policy.

Speaking at the media screening of the documentary in Abuja, producer of the captivating documentary, Mr Ishaya Bako, said 'at first, we thought we would advocate the implementation of the House of Representatives report on the fuel subsidy scam, but with the alleged bribery scandal involving Farouk Lawan, we had to go back to the drawing board because the report became enmeshed in controversy.'

He noted that it was high time Nigerians rise and insist that the country's leadership keep their promises to the people and be accountable.

Mr Udo Ilo, acting Country Officer, Open Society Initiative for West Africa, OSIWA,  who spoke on the occasion, noted that the social media, including the traditional media played major part during the anti-January fuel hike, adding that the electronic media did not compliment the efforts, as there were cases where anti-fuel protests were yanked off air.

He commended the role played by the print media immediately after the hike, during the protests and have continued to play to ensure that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration does the right thing to address the many issues that had arisen after the hike.

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, in his prologue in the documentary, recalled the issues surrounding the subsidy scheme; insistence by Nigerians for accountability on the part of the leadership of the country; the issue of corruption and mis-governance among others, which he noted the film dealt  with.