2 months ago
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Amidst the fuel price hike in Nigeria, a public affairs analyst based in Bauchi State, Sabo Muhammad, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the management of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited and carry out a thorough investigation into the company’s affairs.
While speaking to our correspondent on the sidelines of the fuel price hike during an exclusive interview on Saturday, Muhammad lamented that there is a need for the Federal Government to take a thorough forensic audit of the NNPCL account.
He noted that he is not the first Nigerian to make the suggestion, claiming that critical stakeholders in the energy sector have been agitating for the investigation.
Sabo stated, “That has not been done under the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, and I think the present administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should take the bull by the horns and ensure that we have a clean account in NNPCL, because of allegations of financial misappropriation, lack of proper accountability and management deficiency.
“The NNPCL under Mele Kyari has been promising Nigerians that fuel storage and other uncertainty will come to an end, but the situation has not improved. So it is in that light that some of us as patriotic Nigerians who are very desirous of effective services and efficiency are calling on the president to go the extra mile to suspend the management of NNPCL so that we can have new crops of people with new ideas and vision so that they can be able to take us to the next level.”
Muhammad, who insisted that the appointment of new management in the NNPCL is the solution to the lingering issues in the energy sector, underscored the outcry of the common Nigerians from all angles.
He pointed out that “Things have not been normal; everything is stagnant, and then there are a lot of suspicions about the management of the NNPCL.
“As a patriotic Nigerian, I also joined the league of those calling for a thorough investigation. And that can only be done when the company’s present management is suspended and interim managers appointed to steer the affairs of the company.”
Sabo, who noted the insensitivity in the increase of fuel prices amidst the enduring economic hardship Nigerians are currently battling with said, “It is highly insensitive, irresponsible, and I think this has also created an avenue for oppositions to mock the present administration.
“Nigerians have been pushed to the wall, and the glowing inflation caused by the hike in the price of PMS, the federal government should have a rethink and intervene.”
He maintained that for the government to claim giving a chance for demand and supply to take effect in the oil sector is not sensitive in the current situation.
“Nigeria is one of the countries blessed with these mineral resources, and Nigerians need to enjoy this natural endowment. The government and its policymakers should not be making comparative analysis with the developed economy where there are very strong institutions, zero tolerance to corruption, transparency in government, which are all lacking in the developing economy like Nigeria,” he stated.
He said the president, as an experienced businessman and politician, must act very fast or face the consequences of the unbearable policies in the 2027 general election.
Comrade Sabo Muhammad further lamented the decision of the government to make the NNPCL the sole buyer of Dangote refined petrol, saying, “It is not in the best interest of liberal economy where there are other competitors who are willing and ready to buy and sell the fuel in the domestic market.
“That is what I see and I believe it is the same to many people who are curious about the development in the NNPCL.”
He insisted that “By the time the NNPCL cornered and hijacked as a sole buyer of Dangote refined petrol, it means they have the monopoly, and going back a bit, it was the same NNPCL accusing Dangote for monopoly.
“I think it is not in tandem with the policy of the economy they are talking about to create an enabling environment and allow other competitors to set into the business.”
He believes that NNPCL’s monopoly as the sole buyer of Dangote refined fuel is not favourable to the country and Nigerians.
Sabo emphasised that the government policies will affect the fortune of the All Progressive Congress in the next cycle of elections.
