APC Not Against Kerosene Subsidy -APC Senators

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APC Senator

By Olusegun Emmanuel, Abuja.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) Senators in the senate has declared that the party is not against kerosene subsidy but is opposed to the country spending N700 million daily on subsidy without the masses feeling its impact.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after debate on a motion on the urgent need to stop what the sponsors describe as illegal subsidy, Senator Olugbenga Ashafa who spoke on behalf of the APC senators explained that the party planned to use the motion to stop illegal Kerosene subsidy and continuous deduction of money from federation account without the approval of the National Assembly.According to him, Senator Babajide Omoworare brought the motion to the senate for debate and senators across party line supported the motion, the area of clarification is that APC is not against subsidy but a through investigation should be done and make available to Senate on illegal kerosene deduction without the masses feeling the impact.

He expressed concern that the country spent N1 trillion on subsidizing Kerosene without the approval of the National Assembly yet Nigerians are still buying the product at exorbitant rate.

Senator Omowarare had in his motion noted that through admissions by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Ministry of Finance as well as verified findings emerging from the ongoing finance committee investigation, it was clear that NNPC was short changing the country by paying Kerosene subsidy.

“The current Kerosene Subsidy scheme is manifestly illegal, unconstitutional and a brazen breach of the Appropriation Acts passed by the National Assembly as they have been expenditure of public funds in contravention of sections 80 and 162(1) of the 1999 constitution and attendant Appropriation Acts

“Less than 10% of petroleum products outlets across the country sell Kerosene at the alleged subsidised rate of N50 per litre while the general price is not less than N150 per litre, ” he told Senators

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