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…Laments hardship facing Nigerians under APC
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…Frown at questionable figures coming out of NNPC
By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have called for the urgent separation of the office of the President of Nigeria from that of the Minister of Petroleum.
Rising from the meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum in Aba, the Abia State capital yesterday, they (the Governors) claimed that all the leakages in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have been made possible because the President is also the Minister of Petroleum.
The meeting, which was attended by twelve governors and a deputy governor, lamented what they described as the excruciating hardship and suffering being meted out to Nigerians by the All Progressives Congress, APC, led federal government.
According to the communique issued at the end of the meeting, “we believe that all these leakages in NNPC have been made possible because the President is also the Minister of Petroleum.
“The urgent separation of these two portfolios have become necessary”, they said.
The Governors called for investigations and audit of the quantity of consumption of fuel ascribed to Nigerians.
They equally made case for the deployment of technology at the filling stations to determine, in a transparent manner ,the volume of consumption.
“The Governors would resist any further attempt by NNPC to ascribe unsubstantiated subsidy claims to other tiers of government.
Continuing, the Governors said, “NNPC in 2021 alone claimed to have paid over One Trillion Naira as petroleum subsidy. “Indeed, the month of March 2022, N220Billion was deducted as oil subsidy with a promise that N328Billion will be deducted in April 2022. This is unacceptable.
“NNPC and FIRS as well as other remitting Agencies continue to apply an exchange rate of N389/$1 as against the Import and Export window of N416/$1.
“The extent of this leakage can be better felt, if this rate is compared to the current N570/$1.
“From available records about N7.6T is withheld between 2012 and 2021, by NNPC from the Federation Account. All these are said to be payments for oil subsidy”, they said.
The Governors lamented the terrible pain and hardship facing Nigerians in virtually all aspects of life.
They noted that life was much better in 2015 under the PDP than today under the APC as exemplified in the by comparative indicators obtained mainly from the National Bureau of Statistics.
The communique reads in part, “The meeting reviewed the excruciating hardship and suffering being meted out to Nigerians by a failed APC led Federal Government; the near collapse of the APC as a viable political party, the readiness of the PDP to take over and offer qualitative leadership options to rescue the nation and issued the following Communique:
“We lament the terrible pain and hardship facing Nigerians in virtually all aspects of life.
“The meeting noted that life was much better in 2015 under the PDP than today under the APC as exemplified in the following Comparative Indicators obtained mainly from the National Bureau of Statistics:
“Diesel which is critical for running of SMEs was N131.47 in 2015, it now costs above N700.
“Fuel: Official and Black-Market was N87/155 in 2015, it now costs N167/350.
“Aviation Fuel/Air Ticket Rate on Domestic Flights was N110 per Litre/N18,000 in 2015, it now hovers around N700 per Litre/N70,000, where available. Indeed, the scarcity of fuel which has resulted in loss of several man hours is a disgrace to Nigeria.
“The collapse of the National Grid (126 times in 7 years – (June 2015 to March 2022) and its consequences for non-availability of power is most unfortunate.
“Kerosene (NHK) used by the ordinary Nigerian for cooking and power was N180 in 2015, it now sells at ₦450.
“Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) – 12.5kg Cylinder sold for N2,400 in 2015, is now sold at between N8,750 and N10, 000.
“Prices of basic food stuffs are now three times higher than what they used to be in 2015. Staple foods such as rice, beans, cassava flakes are now slipping out of the hands of average Nigerians. Indeed, a Bag of Rice sold for N8500 in 2015 is now N39,000.
