abdulraheem
The nation’s cash cow, the Nigeria national petroleum corporation (NNPC) is up for reinventing, though it has, in a way begun; with a new man at the helm of affairs at the corporation. The start point is to investigate allegations of missing billions that were reported but ignored during Obasanjo’s presidency, and the recent revelations about unaccounted funds from oil companies to the corporation. During the re-election campaign period of 2003, the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC cried foul over missing N300bn from the expected revenue of the NNPC. A pliant media, the electioneering campaign, the massive rigging of the moment and Obasanjo’s wishful thinking of external governance which ensured only cronies of his government were in charge of the nation’s resources all conspired to silence an ordinarily dangerous and unbecoming trend. In the last few weeks, the RMAFC came up with further updating of its statistics. Between 2004 and April 2007, N500billion disappeared from NNPC’s account. Another account by RMAFC said NNPC officials stole N502billion from over production in its subversion of OPEC quota and the proceeds used to fund political campaign among which is the high tech rigging of elections, the use of money to compromise political opponents and supporters alike, the political conference gamble etc. Between United Kingdom and Bermuda, two billion dollars were said to have been diverted by Nigerian officials in shady deals and of recent, the United States treasury department said NNPC officials collected bribes worth $387million from Wilbros, a US oil services company over eastern gas gathering system projects. Only last week NEITI reiterated RMAFC’s findings that N800million oil money was missing. This is besides the N560billion said to have been withheld by the same NNPC from the federation accounts from December 2004 and especially the administration of fuel subsidies. On the illegal deduction and withholding Engr Hamman Tukur while on a recent visit to president Yar’Adua pointed out “Mr. President Sir, not only does the NNPC not account for the other products but it also withholds about N20billion every month from the federation account as subsidy. “The illegal deduction in the name of subsidy does not end with NNPC. The petroleum products pricing regulatory agency PPPRA, is similarly paid money from the domestic excess crude account based on calculated cost recoveries on petroleum” This statement further raises objection on how PPPRA arrives at subsidies for a government that had disdain for facts. On that basis alone, the government of Yar’Adua has enough reason to probe the NNPC and by extension the Obasanjo presidency. We urge that the NNPC be investigated thoroughly considering that all these huge sums of money lost to corruption would have been properly channelled to service education, healthcare, provision of infrastructure for which innocent Nigerians have had to pay through their noses to secure, while those who could not afford them get consumed by the problems, just because the government has since abdicated its responsibility of providing such services. There is no doubt that, with these current revelations and NNPC’s hidden book of sleaze, now public knowledge, we are not a long way from a possible exposure of the Obasanjo presidency. The man who must make this happen is President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. All those behind the gross misappropriation public funds must be made to face the wrath of the law. Transparency in public service must be restored.
