Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the National Assembly to conduct a thorough probe on the alleged secret petrol subsidy payment.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Thursday, Atiku urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to demonstrate bravery in taking ownership of its policies and their consequences by being accountable to Nigerians.
On Wednesday, Atiku challenged Tinubu’s administration to cease what he alleges is misleading the public about its stance on petrol subsidy.
He stated that despite Tinubu’s public statements regarding petrol subsidy removal, the administration has been covertly disbursing trillions of naira for petrol subsidy.
Atiku indicated that subsidy payments under Tinubu’s leadership are projected to reach N5.4 trillion this year.
In response, the Presidency has refuted circulating claims that it intends to allocate funds to pay N5.4 trillion for fuel subsidy in 2024.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, reaffirmed the conclusion of the fuel subsidy era.
But responding, Atiku accused the “Bola Tinubu administration of diverting public funds through petrol subsidy, hence the refusal of the government to reveal how much is being spent on subsidy.”
Atiku stated that the alleged covert subsidy scheme was among the factors deterring investments in the oil sector.
The statement read in part “The former Vice President said the clandestine subsidy regime was one of the reasons investments in the oil sector had refused to come in.
“Tinubu has brought the shady nature of running Lagos to the federal level. He claims subsidy is gone but his Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, says they are intervening from time to time while his Finance Minister, Wale Edun, described subsidy removal as an ‘ongoing process’. A document authored by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy revealing how much subsidy is being paid is now being disowned by the very authors of the document.
“Both the World Bank and the IMF have revealed in separate reports that Nigeria is still paying petrol subsidies, but the Tinubu government refuses to come clean. Even a senior member of the APC had revealed that the subsidy was being paid.
“For a man who claims to be on a mission to attract foreign direct investment, it is ironic that he cannot see that his policy flip-flops and lies are capable of dissuading investors. He must come clean on this subsidy issue since he doubles as a petroleum minister. The Tinubu administration should be courageous enough to own their policies and outcome with their full chest and responsible enough to be accountable for their actions to Nigerians.”
He stressed the importance of the National Assembly prioritizing the investigation of the matter instead of concentrating on trivial matters.
It continued “This denial lends credence that money meant for the Federation Account, which ought to be shared to states and local governments, is being diverted without any form of accountability whatsoever.
“There is a need for the National Assembly to get to the bottom of the matter rather than focusing on frivolous issues.
“The National Assembly needs to be alive to its responsibilities, especially in the area of oversight. Posterity will not be kind to members of the National Assembly if they continue to look the other way while daylight robbery is taking place.”
