The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, formerly known as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, was purportedly accused of underpaying Nigerians on Monday by the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA).
In a statement, HURIWA’s national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, supported the Nigerian Customs Service’s Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali, and criticized the N6.34 trillion subsidy payment on Premium Motor Spirit, more commonly known as gasoline.
HURIWA questions why Nigeria has not employed top-tier forensic auditors who are trustworthy enough and untouchable to thoroughly audit the total number of liters of fuel consumed in Nigeria. Given that the majority of transactions involving petroleum products are conducted across the nation, it is not difficult to determine scientifically and precisely how much local fuel is consumed each day throughout the entire nation.
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Recall that Ali had claimed last week that NNPC could not scientifically prove the 98 million liters per day consumption it claimed, alleging that the country’s oil company was supplying an excess of 38 million liters of PMS daily, during a presentation before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance in Abuja.
The deficit in the 2023 fiscal year is expected to range between N11.30 trillion and N12.41 trillion, according to the federal government’s proposed budget, which has estimates totaling N19.76 trillion.
The NCS director clarified, however, that the matter is not related to the illegal importation of petroleum products as claimed by Kyari during a State House briefing last week.
“If we are consuming 60 million litres of PMS per day, by their own computation, why would you allow the release of 98 million litres per day? If you know this is our consumption, why would you allow that release?
“Scientifically, you cannot tell me that if I fill my tank today, tomorrow, I will fill the same tank with the same quantity of fuel. If I am operating a fuel station today and I go to Minna depot, lift petrol and take it to Kaduna, I may get to Kaduna in the evening and offload that fuel. There is no way I would have sold off that petrol immediately to warrant another load. So, how did you get to 60 million litres per day? That is my problem,” Ali had stated.
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HURIWA’s Onwubiko, meanwhile, asserted, “It is disgusting how two governmental organizations are openly contradicting one another. Nigerians are eagerly awaiting Mele Kyari’s explanation after Col. Hameed Ali (ret.) issued an open challenge to his NNPC counterpart.
“It is no doubt that the NNPC is shortchanging Nigeria and Nigerians using vacuous and bogus subsidy claims because for now, it is not clear if any open and public records exist to show these details to allow for transparency and accountability which are the hallmarks of good governance.
“This is condemnable. It is particularly shameful that the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress failed Nigerians after criticizing past administrations over the failure to stabilise the production capacity of NNPC refineries to allow for home refining of crude oil.
“The country’s refineries have been run aground in the last seven years since President Muhammadu Buhari came into office and has been the substantive minister of Petroleum resources. If this is not a national shame, then Nigerians wonder what it is.
“To think that the President himself is the petroleum minister for seven years now is utterly perplexing. Rather than working, the current regime has been engaging in alleged round-tripping scams in the name of the subsidy regime.
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“Despicable for a government in an economic crisis. This is shown in the fact that even at the top levels the officials can’t say exactly why it costs the public a humongous sum to subsidise fuel locally consumed.
“We condemn the practice of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo running to the World Bank to ‘help’ Nigeria stop subsidy when as a sovereign entity ruled by an elected administration Nigeria should work out a home-grown economic formula to close the yawning gaps and leakages that results in ballooning funding claims from the petroleum subsidy subhead of the budget.
“Nigerian leaders should stop playing to the gallery and exposing the Country as a Banana Republic.”
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