Govs, ministers’ firms involved in subsidy scam — Rep

A member of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Subsidy Management, Dr. Ali Ahmad,  has alleged that companies owned by  past and serving governors, ministers and top politicians were involved in the fuel subsidy scam.

The  Farouk Lawan House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on the Management of Fuel Subsidy had in its report alleged monumental fraud in fuel  subsidy payments.

Speaking to journalists in Ilorin on Sunday,   Ahmad said the alleged plot  to impeach the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal,  over the report would  not succeed.

According to him, Tambuwal incurred the wrath of some powerful forces for not influencing the committee to trivalise the fuel subsidy report and for insisting on openness and transparency in the debate of the report.

He urged the government to implement the report when adopted by the House, adding that Nigerians should insist on good governance, accountability and the implementation of the report once passed by the House.

He said, “Companies belonging to past and serving governors, ministers and top politicians are involved in the scam.

“This is an opportunity for government to earn peoples’ trust and implement the report.”

He stated that from their investigation,  if the crude oil export was  well handled, the landing cost of fuel would  reduce.

He said the alarm by the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi,  that the N656.3bn budgetary allocation to  fuel subsidy in 2012 would  run out before the end of 2012 was  unnecessary.

Ahmad stressed that with  proper management of crude oil proceeds,  there would be enough money such that even the allocation might  need not be spent anymore.

He added that the government’s reasons that  fluctuation of international oil price and  exchange dollars equally contributed to  high rise in subsidy cost were untenable and pedestrian.

He said, “With proper marketing and management of exported crude oil, government does not even need the  budget for subsidy provision this year.

“Lamido Sanusi said even the N888bn will not be enough before the end 2012.  They have started. Nigerians should wake up and shine their eyes. Now is April and Lamido is raising the alarm. So we might see another trillion or more before the end of 2012.

“We do not even have to spend the budgeted subsidy amount with good transaction and management of the oil crude.

“It is the duty of all us to defend the masses.”

 Ahmad,  who is also Chairman, House of Representatives  Committee on Justice,  said  what Nigerians needed was  good governance, provision of infrastructure, security of lives and properties, functional power, employment and an  enabling business environment rather than debate on 2015.

According to him, the debate is a distraction to good governance.

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