…Demands Full Disclosure of Fuel Importation Costs
By John Ugo
The Peoples Democratic Party has described the request of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for N3 trillion as the funding for subsidy in the 2022 budget as a scam.
The PDP also called on the National Assembly to stand with the people and reject what it described the scandalous N2.557 trillion addition for fuel subsidy in the 2022 budget.
The party said it is appalled by the move by the APC administration to hide under fuel subsidy to allegedly siphon a staggering N3trillion, describing the move as outrageous and unpardonable crime against Nigerians.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, in a statement said the PDP was against subsidy removal and therefore rejected the plot by the APC led government to use a heavily padded fuel subsidy claims to surreptitiously siphon trillions of Naira.
The PDP challenged the APC to make a full disclosure of the specifics of the subsidy templates including details of then cost of importation of petroleum products into the country to warrant the additional N2.557 trillion being requested by the APC administration.
Ologunagba said that PDP already had information of the deliberate efforts made by APC leaders to push for the additional N2.557 trillion to add to the N443 billion already approved for fuel subsidy in the 2022 budget.
He alleged that the motive was to create slush fund for APC leaders to share as well as deploy to rig the 2023 elections.
Ologunagba said,”Whilst the PDP is not against subsidizing petroleum products for Nigerians, our Party rejects this wicked plot by the APC government to use a heavily padded fuel subsidy claims to surreptitiously funnel trillions of naira into the pockets of corrupt APC leaders and their cronies in government ahead of their shameful exit in 2023.
“Nigerians have already noted that the proposed increase is consistent with APC’s typical padding of fuel subsidy ahead of every election cycle.”
“Is it not revealing that while fuel subsidy was N24 billion in 2016 and rose to N144.53 billion in 2017, it spiked to N878 billion in 2018 ahead of the 2019 elections; remained at N551.22 billion in the election year of 2019, only to drop to N102 billion in 2020, after the elections.”
“It is clear that the APC increased fuel subsidy to N1.4 trillion in 2021 and now barefacedly seeks additional N2.557 trillion to have a cumulative subsidy bill of N3 trillion in 2022 to prosecute the 2023 elections having realized that it has a tough battle with Nigerians because of its monumental failures.”
The PDP Scribe expressed the concern the proposed increase is expected to be funded through external borrowings, with the implication to further “impoverish Nigerians, mortgage the future of our nation and burden future generation of Nigerians just to finance the insatiable greed of APC leaders.”
He said that the PDP joins Nigerians to rejects the figures provided by the Federal Government on domestic consumption and landing cost for petroleum products.
“The PDP, standing with the Nigerian people, vehemently rejects the bandying of incoherent, unsubstantiated and heavily doctored figures by the APC government in its desperate lies on domestic consumption and landing costs.”
“Our Party challenges the APC to present the details of importation costs to Nigerians as no genuine pricing template can support such criminal increase in fuel subsidy beyond the appropriate pricing which experts posit cannot be above N500 billion.”