Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has pinned the crisis rocking the oil sector and various issues bedevilling the country on President Bola Tinubu.
The former VP levelled series of allegations against the President in a post he authored and posted on his Facebook page in response to the report that contrary to Tinubu’s administration’s claim that “oil subsidy is gone,” it has returned the regime in closet.
Fresh report had said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, on the directive of the President has been using proceeds accrued to it from crude oil sale to subsidise fuel, instead of remitting it to the federation account.
The exposure, which garnered wide attention excited Atiku’s response with the said post.
In it, the last Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party accused Tinubu of dishonesty, living a lie and causing the crisis afflicting the oil and energy sectors.
The post in part, “disclosures prior to his announcement have consistently indicated a resurgence of subsidy payments, albeit through less transparent means.
“This dissonance between the President’s words and his actions not only undermines the moral fabric of his leadership but also significantly erodes the credibility of his administration.
“At a time when the nation grapples with severe fuel scarcity and escalating energy costs, the continued delays in the re-operation of the Port Harcourt refinery stand as a national disgrace — a failure that rests firmly on the shoulders of President Tinubu, who also holds the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
“Moreover, the persistent denials by NNPC Limited only exacerbate the plight of Nigerians, who endure severe difficulties due to fuel shortages and resultant price inflations. Amidst a contentious dispute between local investors favouring refinery operations and those advocating for imported PMS, the President’s silence is profoundly disconcerting.”
It went further: “The veil of secrecy shrouding the downstream petroleum sector, coupled with alarming reports of NNPC Limited diverting funds intended for other purposes to cover subsidy payments, adds layers of confusion that are unbearably unsettling.
“If these reports hold true, they portend grave implications for the integrity of our fiscal federalism. It is imperative, therefore, that the Tinubu administration urgently clarifies the entanglements surrounding the subsidy policy and the refining of PMS.
“Only through transparent governance can Nigerians hope to find relief from the current debilitating conditions of fuel scarcity and the spiralling inflation affecting petroleum products.”
