WorldStage Newsonline-- Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has charged the National Assembly not to relent on its investigation process and final bringing to book all those involved in the criminal looting of the nation’s treasury through the oil subsidy.
The NLC President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the oil subsidy probe was a vindication of the Nigerian peoples protest on the issue.
The labour chief stated that the Nigerians were behind the law makers therefore they should ensure that nothing was swept under the carpet.
In an earlier statement, Ag General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Owei lakemfa lamented that the people had for eight days beginning January 9, 2012 gone on strike, held mass rallies and street protests against the increase in the price of fuel, and its decision to remove fuel subsidy.
According to him, the report also vindicated the NLC position stated on December 20, 2011 before President Goodluck Jonathan. “The NLC had at that meeting in the Presidential Villa made allegations of fraud in the subsidy regime and the manipulation of figures in a presentation made by the Minister of Finance,” said Lakemfa.
He said the President had asked the NLC to come up with its facts at the next meeting which was fixed for the new year, but that meeting never held.
For the NLC, stated the congress, the report was a mere tip of the iceberg; 'there is the need for further investigations. For instance, the recommendation that the Executive Secretaries of the PPPRA from 2009 to date be probed, does not go far enough. There is need to probe the oil industry from the inception of civil rule after the rapacious military regimes had departed.'
The congress added that some of the findings of the House reports showed clear indication of “criminality; therefore it is not enough for private and public organisations like the NNPC and PPPRA to be asked to make refunds. The Government has a duty to bring the officers of such organizations and their supervisors to justice.
“We also hold that the ministers of finance and her counterpart, Petroleum Ministries, Alison Madueke and their lieutenants under whose watch the NNPC made unconstitutional deductions from the country’s oil income before dumping the balance in the federation account be further investigated for culpability.
“The massive looting of the subsidy funds and the corruption in the oil industry are sufficient grounds for the N97 per litre cost of PMS (petrol) to be drastically reduced. The NLC holds that if the government plucks up courage to do local refining, the cost of PMS need not be as high as the old price of N65 per litre.”
The NLC commended the law makers and its ad hoc Committee for carrying out the probe and mustering the courage to make the report public. “We also, commend the House leadership for its decision to televise live, the debates on the report.”
The congress called on government to ensure that the findings of the report are speedily followed up and implemented, adding that country cannot continue to be led by unscrupulous people.
