NNPCL involved in oil subsidy scam, former Bauchi governor alleges

Former Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda has alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) is involved in oil subsidy scams.

Yuguda, a former minister of state and aviation, made the allegation on Channels Television’s news and current affairs programme Sunrise Daily on Monday.

After his swearing-in as Nigeria’s president on May 29 at Eagles Square in Abuja, Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared that is government would remove the subsidy on petroleum products.

The fuel subsidy removal has met with a lot of mixed reactions with not a few arguing for or against it.

Speaking on Monday, Yuguda disclosed that there are individuals who are benefitting from the subsidy scams including the NNPCL.

“They are all involved in this things, all of them and I must sadly also report that Nigeria subsidy, that part of it that goes for subsidy, will go on subsidising sub-sharan Africa and Central Africa because the bulk of this product are smuggled out of this country, then who is subsidising who?” he queried.

“It can be very frustrating in Nigeria to implement policies especially where there are intense interest and a cabal that exist, just similar to what you have in the bunkering issue, it can be stopped but you can’t stop it, the political will to stop it is not there.

“There are so many interest that are involved there and that’s what is leading Nigeria to where we are today. There was a time during Jonathan’s administration hardly were we pumping one million barrels per day and the prices kept crashing and how do you manage a government that is dependent on oil? ”

Yuguda noted that the subsidy regime should have gone way back in 2013, stating that whoever is in support of subsidy is connected to the scammers that are killing Nigeria.

He, however, blamed the lack of will on the part of the government to address the subsidy issue.

“This has been a very serious issue which has been so much talked of. Maybe it’s motion without movement and government didn’t have the political will to address the problem.

“I was privileged to serve as the chairman of the sub-committee in 2008 and 2009 under the economic melt down, I was one of the members, three of us governors some other members with Mr president as chairman.

“I chaired the committee on subsidy and everything about the subsidy regime and then the scam involved was discovered in my committee. Since then recommendations were made which unfortunately were never implemented.

“I’m sad to let Nigerians know that what I saw, we came across situations where subsidies was claimed on pipelines that never existed. They just fill papers, invoices and they claim subsidies on it in fact there was an instance of a pipeline that was supppse to exist between Lagos and Warri and tons of monies were collected.”