By Okey Maduforo Awka
Gubernatorial aspirant under platform of the Labour Party Engr Bath Nwibe has alleged that there is no way the corruption in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC could be thriving without the remote involvement of top government functionaries and operator of the oil sector.
Nwibe who is a consultant in the Oil and Gas sector insisted that that the only means of riving NNPC is to prosecute the perpetrators of oil theft adding that Nigeria should invest more on production for export to improve on the nation’s economy.
The Federal Government he also said should intensify efforts to tackle oil theft, corruption and diversify revenue sources outside oil to shore up and stabilize the economy.
This foreign exchange he noted is sourced mainly from the sale of oil which the immediate past administration of Muhamadu Buhari inturn pledged in servicing the huge debts of money he borrowed from varied sources.
“If at the time of removing the subsidy,a litre of fuel was say N700 and you go to the market to learn that it has quadrupled , what do you do”, he asked rhetorically.
“The government has to find a way to stop oil theft because it will be difficult for genuine business men to put their money in investing the sector. given the uncertainties therein and the emphasis on green energy and the rest of it.
“These are the challenges.There is no way crude oil will be stolen without those in government knowing about it
“The vessel that comes to load the crude oil anchors on our shores for at least 30 days,yet we have the Navy and the government officials mounting surveillance and after about 30 days the vessel loads and goes,who is fooling who”,he asked.
Furthermore, the government he said should beam it’s search light towards the NNPC and corruption that goes in there.
For instance, the NNPC he noted told Nigerians that we consume about 60,000 barrels oga day and wondered why that quantum of fuel consumption daily has remained if it is true when people have cut down their movements,convoy and fuel consumption due to increased cost of pump price of fuel and at times scarcity
“The quantity of fuel we consume if what the N N P C is telling is true ought to have dropped under the prevailing situation. But to NNPC it is constant. So we have to deal with this issue of NNPC corruption which right now is positioning to buy oil from Dangote refinery and sell to Nigerians”, he said.
It is wrong he said for the NNPC to buy. fuel from Dangote but should allow Marketers and everybody to register with Dangote and buy directly from the company.
The fact that they are angling to buy oil from Dangote,he said shows that there is something they are hiding, insisting that fuel marketing should not be the business of NNPC but to design policies and regulate the industry.
He said that it would amount to over regulation if the NNPC does otherwise, stressing that what is needed is good governance on the part of our leaders whom he noted lacked the vision to drive a country in crisis like Nigeria.
