$3.5bn Subsidy: Group Slams Senate Over NNPC Summons, Says Buhari, Baru Targets

A group has berated the Nigerian Senate for summoning the leadership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the alleged illegal payment of $3.5 billion as subsidy for petroleum products.

The Senate summon followed a motion on ‘matters of national importance’ which was sponsored by Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi. The upper legislative chamber had consequently set a up an ad hoc committee to probe the $3.5 billion “subsidy recovery fund”.

But reacting to the move, the group, known as the Allforone Initiative for Peaceful Nigeria (APN), berated the Red Chamber for relying on gossip to probe the alleged illegal subsidy payment.

“The NNPC is not operating an illegal fund on subsidy. The allegation is a political strategy to turn the attention of Nigerians to the NNPC and the Presidency especially against the backdrop of the administration’s claim of zero tolerance to corruption,” the group said through its national coordinator, Mr. Peter Ige.

“It is thus clear that that the Senate is acting as an agent provocateur of sorts to precipitate a fresh narrative of alleged corruption in the NNPC where none really exists, knowing full well that Nigerians will be pissed off with such issue and and relate with it as a seeming moral contradiction in the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption,” the group stated.

The group also noted that the NNPC has denied the allegation, stressing that “the development was deliberately orchestrated by the Senate to sustain its false narrative and allegation in the public domain with about 104 days to the presidential election.”

Speaking further, the APN said it was privy to alleged deliberate move by the opposition-led Senate to embarrass the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, and President Muhammadu Buhari, using the probe panel.

The group accused the Dr Bukola Saraki-led Senate of intentionally populating the probe panel with senators who are aggrieved with the Buhari Presidency in order to achieve their alleged political aim.

“The entire process has political undercurrents that allegedly have the tacit sponsorship of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who is desperate to maintain his suzerainty over the politics of Kwara state, especially after his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,” said the group.

“According to investigations, the governorship battle in Kwara state has raised the stake and holds the key to the absolute control of the politics in the state. The APC is fielding Alhaji Alimi Abdulrazaq, with a considerable financial war chest, as its candidate in the governorship election.

“Saraki’s hegemony is under threat. Consequently, through the probe of the NNPC, it was learnt that a brother to the APC governorship candidate who works as Executive Director of Finance in the NNPC would be targeted for indictment.

“Besides, sources said that the probe into alleged subsidy fund was capable of upsetting the sector as marketers might become afraid of their payments and become more cautious about imports, which might precipitate a rash of fuel scarcity between the end of the year and early 2019 towards the general election.

“The fear in the government circles is that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party will latch on the development to de-market the candidature of President Buhari in the electioneering for the forthcoming general election.

“Fuel scarcity on the eve of a major election is an effective weapon in the hands of the opposition against the governing party,” said the APN.