Senators were outraged yesterday, following the alleged illegal deduction of N700 million daily as kerosene subsidy by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
This was after a motion by Senator Babajide Omoworare (Osun East), titled: Urgent Need to Stop N700 million a day Illegal Kerosene Subsidy, was adopted.
Senators Ayogu Eze, Abdul Ningi, George Akume, Isa Galadu, Emmanuel Paulker, Olubunmi Adetunmbi, Abubakar Saraki, Ahmed Makarfi and Victor Ndoma-Egba said the Senate should halt the anomaly.
In his lead debate, Omoworare said he was concerned about the investigation by the Senate Committee on Finance on the alleged non-remittance of public funds by the NNPC into the federation account.
The lawmaker also said he learnt, from the admission of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and Ministry of Finance as well as verified findings from the Finance Committee’s investigation, that the kerosene subsidy scheme was illegal, unconstitutional and a brazen breach of the Appropriation Act passed by the National Assembly.
He said there had been expenditures of public funds in contravention of sections 80 and 162(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and attendant appropriation acts.
Omoworare said he was disturbed that less than 10 per cent of filling stations in the country sold kerosene at the alleged subsidised rate of N50 per litre, while the general price was not less than N150 per litre.
He expressed worry that kerosene subsidy had failed to ameliorate the suffering of the masses because the beneficiaries were being defrauded while the process was being used to enrich the oil cabal and its collaborators in the corridors of power.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) senator regretted that “less than 10 per cent of Nigerians benefit from this heartless massive scheme that drains the nation’s treasury, more than double the average annual budget for Education, Health, roads, Security, and Agricultural sectors, while the majority wallow in abject poverty at the expense of this few mindless rich cabal network.”
Omoworare noted that since the kerosene subsidy scheme was outside the national budget, its impact was dangerous to the fiscal stability of the nation’s collective economic well-being and the country’s future.
The senator said Nigerians should be concerned that the committee’s investigation showed that N4.2 billion was being spent every six days on kerosene subsidy.
He prayed the Senate to resolve that the minister of Petroleum Resources and other agencies of government charged with the regulation of petroleum products stop the illegal kerosene subsidy until the legal status of the scheme was determined.
Omoworare said this would check the financial hemorrhage of the nation’s purse through the subsidy regime.
Although several senators supported the motion, some asked the Senate to take a position on the matter: whether it should be retained or removed.
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