L
LequteMan
Guest
Nigeria- Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Friday frowned at the monumental fraud and looting of the oil treasury without significant action to identify, prosecute and punish culprits.
Mr Jaye Gaskia, Convener of Protest To Power Movement (P2PM), speaking at a conference in Abuja to mark three years of fuel subsidy protest, said treasury looting could not have happened without the collaboration and protection of highly placed political officials.
According to Gaskia, the NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Product Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA), Federal ministries of Petroleum and Finance were not left out of the looting.
He said that no official had been implicated or disciplined on this issue.
``The Federal Government had earlier promised that it would take three years to build new refineries and complete them at end of 2014 through Public Private Partnership (PPP).
``All the promises made have not been realised and the nation continued to be dependent on importation of refined products for more than 80 per cent of its requirements,’’ Gaskia said.
He explained that the excess crude oil account was not backed by law but only backed by an agreement between the Federal Government and the states.
According to him, the National Assembly cannot even appropriate the excess crude revenue.
``That is why government is saying that the foreign reserve has been depleted when the account is suppose to be increasing; what have they spent all these money for.
`` There is no reason why the pump price of fuel should be selling at N97 per litre, even most countries in the world that are dependent on importation of fuel have reduced their prices.
``Just few days ago Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana reduced their domestic fuel prices,’’ Gaskia said.
He said any claim paid on subsidy since the downturn of oil prices in the international market would be regarded as fraudulent payment because the landing cost of fuel had reduced.
According to him, Nigeria is sufficient in producing refined oil in the country but our crude oil is being refined overseas due to corruption.
``If corruption stopped, there will be no need for any subsidy and the cost of pump price will be reduced, ’’ he said.
Similarly, Mr Okeke Anya, Convener of SOTU, said Nigeria was a signatory to the African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
Anya said despite the signatory, corruption had continued to ravage the economy on a daily basis.
Also speaking, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, Managing Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), called on Nigerians to take advantage of the forthcoming elections and vote for their right choice.
Rafsanjani also advised Nigerians to take the advantage of the 2015 elections to make political parties and candidates’ enter into binding commitments with citizens on preventing and combating corruption.
#Nigeria #Oil
Mr Jaye Gaskia, Convener of Protest To Power Movement (P2PM), speaking at a conference in Abuja to mark three years of fuel subsidy protest, said treasury looting could not have happened without the collaboration and protection of highly placed political officials.
According to Gaskia, the NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Product Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA), Federal ministries of Petroleum and Finance were not left out of the looting.
He said that no official had been implicated or disciplined on this issue.
``The Federal Government had earlier promised that it would take three years to build new refineries and complete them at end of 2014 through Public Private Partnership (PPP).
``All the promises made have not been realised and the nation continued to be dependent on importation of refined products for more than 80 per cent of its requirements,’’ Gaskia said.
He explained that the excess crude oil account was not backed by law but only backed by an agreement between the Federal Government and the states.
According to him, the National Assembly cannot even appropriate the excess crude revenue.
``That is why government is saying that the foreign reserve has been depleted when the account is suppose to be increasing; what have they spent all these money for.
`` There is no reason why the pump price of fuel should be selling at N97 per litre, even most countries in the world that are dependent on importation of fuel have reduced their prices.
``Just few days ago Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana reduced their domestic fuel prices,’’ Gaskia said.
He said any claim paid on subsidy since the downturn of oil prices in the international market would be regarded as fraudulent payment because the landing cost of fuel had reduced.
According to him, Nigeria is sufficient in producing refined oil in the country but our crude oil is being refined overseas due to corruption.
``If corruption stopped, there will be no need for any subsidy and the cost of pump price will be reduced, ’’ he said.
Similarly, Mr Okeke Anya, Convener of SOTU, said Nigeria was a signatory to the African Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
Anya said despite the signatory, corruption had continued to ravage the economy on a daily basis.
Also speaking, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, Managing Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), called on Nigerians to take advantage of the forthcoming elections and vote for their right choice.
Rafsanjani also advised Nigerians to take the advantage of the 2015 elections to make political parties and candidates’ enter into binding commitments with citizens on preventing and combating corruption.
#Nigeria #Oil
