THE National Assembly may reject the proposal for removal of fuel subsidy having 'discovered that the much talked about subsidy was a fluke designed by a cartel in the corridors of power to impoverish Nigerians with the connivance of the government.'
A senator who is also in the leadership of the Upper Chamber who pleaded anonymity told The Guardian yesterday, said that majority of the members were already opposed to the removal of the subsidy, having discovered that in reality, it is non-existent, but only serve as a conduit pipe for members of the cartel for diverting proceeds from the country's crude without accounting for it.
"There is nothing like subsidy. Why should the government lobby for the removal of something that is only existing in their imagination. It is just round tripping in the oil sector between the government officials and a cartel in the corridors of power, who use proceeds from such illegal deals to support the elections of some public office holders.'
"Instead of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) carrying its responsibility of exporting and importing petroleum products, they abdicate it and sell crude oil at give away price to some individuals who enjoy the support of government.
"These individuals hide under the cover of NNPC to export the crude, refine it, and only to bring it back to the country and sell to NNPC at international price. At this point, despite that the oil was given to them at take away price, government through NNPC will pay them again the landing cost and other charges in the name of subsidy," the Senator revealed.
He alleged that a former president of the country owns a refineries in Kuwait and Jamaica to which the cartel normally take the crude oil to be refined.
"We are most likely to align with the labour unions in the agitation against the subsidy removal, unless government do what is right and plug the loopholes in the oil sector. NNPC must be made to either live up to expectation or be scrapped. Refineries must be built and made functional," he said.
In his reaction, President-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Peter Esele yesterday said that it was too much inefficiency in the system that gave room for what he described the 'fraud' called subsidy. He blamed NNPC that instead of taking the crude oil to Europe for refining to reduce the cost of importation, they take it to far away Asia and Middle East countries.
"It has been noticed that we have been talking about this over the years. If we look at the jetties, the Single Boyin Morrin (SBM), Atlas Cove can only receive how many tones? All we now have is five or ten metric tonnes. What I expect NNPC and government to do is to enlarge the Cove so that 50 metric tonnes can berth and the lowest to be allowed to berth should be 25 metric tonnes.
"This will reduce or remove itinerary which is another avenue for fraud. What we have now is 10, 15 metric tonnes as we cannot receive more and the vessel stay on high sea, while demurhage piles which government will pay. They have to go and get smaller vessels to go and be receiving these products. All these are adding cost to the products," the source said.
The Guardian