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In Nigeria, their "President" (really a ruthless dictator who stays in power with the backing of the military) has said that gas prices will not rise through the end of 2006, no matter what happens in the global market. How come a brutal dictator who rules through fiat is doing something because he fears public backlash. and in our democracy, our government does nothing to help people because we sit idly by and accept the outrageous prices? Have we become that mindlessly complacent?
The article: High Oil Prices Met With Anger Worldwide
Rising fuel prices are stoking popular anger around the world
Politicians are on the defensive and governments are forced to resort to price freezes, tax cuts and other measures to soothe voter resentment
In Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo promised in a nationally televised Independence Day speech that the cost of gasoline would not increase further until the end of 2006, no matter what happened in global oil markets
Antagonism over the strains inflicted by escalating energy costs is a phenomenon that stretches from rich nations in Western Europe, to poor countries in Asia and Africa
The impact is particularly hard on people in nations like Namibia, where the average annual income is $5,000 and gas costs about $5 a gallon
Canadians paid about $4.07 per gallon for gasoline shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit
Prices in the United States have risen much faster than those in many parts of the developing world
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