Like a well scripted plot playing out, accusations and denials have become the expected outcome of the fuel subsidy probe. The damming report is going to be challenged by no fewer than 17 firms who the report indicted. As was expected and predicted by Joshua King’s Free Press, they have begun contacting lawyers and briefing them as to the next line of action. The companies argue that, they were not invited for the hearing and as such should not have been indicted on ground of “unfair hearing.”
The Farouk Lawan-led committee had indicted 18 oil companies and concluded that they were guilty of mismanaging about N41 billion subsidy money. The companies include AS Nigeria Limited; Somerset Nigeria Limited; Techno Oil Limited; Oil Bath Nigeria Limited; Muthaff Nigeria Limited; Stonebridge Oil Limited; Mobil Oil Nigeria; Petrotrade Energy Limited; Lucky Energy Limited; Rocky Energy Limited and Prudent Energy and Services Limited.
The companies however, are showing a little caution as they intend to wait out the televised session on the report scheduled for tomorrow 24th April on the floor of the lower house of the National Assembly. The affected companies it is learnt have decided to sue the House of Representatives for wrongful accusation seeking damages running into billions of Naira. The accounting firms indicted have already been black listed by the federal government. They are also going to face hard times as the relevant professional body ICAN (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria) is reportedly setting up a panel to investigate their level of involvement following which a hearing will be held.
Many would say and rightly so: should the ad hoc committee’s report be a final submission upon which guilt can be decided? The report is not an infallible work of investigation but it is a work of diligent finding whose position can be anticipated by any right thinking person prior to its submission. More so, only an indicted suspect or a member of the government who assiduously held a view contrary to the report can disagree. The report reads in part: “We found out that the subsidy regime, as operated between the period under review (2009 and 2011), were fraught with endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency. Much of the amount claimed to have been paid as subsidy was actually not for consumed PMS. Government officials made nonsense of the PSF Guidelines due mainly to sleaze and, in some other cases, incompetence. It is therefore apparent that the insistence by top Government officials that the subsidy figures were for products consumed was a clear attempt to mislead the Nigerian people.”
Nothing can be more damming than the above submission. Heads should roll where swords have sliced. Yet heads are firmly in place. It appears that only a few hairs have fallen from the fuel subsidy scam so far. Maybe we are in a hurry to see justice or are we being unreal? Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and coincidentally a certain Governor Adams Oshiomole argued that subsidy was unsustainable and evil. We now know what is unsustainable: mediocrity, and corruption. Please gentlemen, we urge you to leave our government honorably as your poor thinking is also unsustainable.
The president was famed for courage at the town hall meeting where the government speakers argued in favour of subsidy withdrawal. It is obvious now, that some people have a poor understanding of the word courage and instead confuse cowardice for it instead. Where he should have shown exceptional courage to unmasking and lifting the veil covering these saboteurs he chose rather to face a hapless, defenseless poor nation.
When a team has shown a lack of direction and poor performance over a reasonable time, it is necessary to show the manager the way out. We have a House of Representatives that should go to discuss this matter tomorrow, we urge them to show true courage and do the needed for Nigerians though living on less than two dollars a day have continued to buy fuel for more than they can actually afford. This government has urged Nigerians to leave beyond their means. They should immediately occupy prison for Occupy Nigeria has been vindicated and season two is now eagerly anticipated if there is a lack of will on the part of those at the helm today to do justice in high places.
There is no hope for a society without a form of justice.
The Farouk Lawan-led committee had indicted 18 oil companies and concluded that they were guilty of mismanaging about N41 billion subsidy money. The companies include AS Nigeria Limited; Somerset Nigeria Limited; Techno Oil Limited; Oil Bath Nigeria Limited; Muthaff Nigeria Limited; Stonebridge Oil Limited; Mobil Oil Nigeria; Petrotrade Energy Limited; Lucky Energy Limited; Rocky Energy Limited and Prudent Energy and Services Limited.
The companies however, are showing a little caution as they intend to wait out the televised session on the report scheduled for tomorrow 24th April on the floor of the lower house of the National Assembly. The affected companies it is learnt have decided to sue the House of Representatives for wrongful accusation seeking damages running into billions of Naira. The accounting firms indicted have already been black listed by the federal government. They are also going to face hard times as the relevant professional body ICAN (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria) is reportedly setting up a panel to investigate their level of involvement following which a hearing will be held.
Many would say and rightly so: should the ad hoc committee’s report be a final submission upon which guilt can be decided? The report is not an infallible work of investigation but it is a work of diligent finding whose position can be anticipated by any right thinking person prior to its submission. More so, only an indicted suspect or a member of the government who assiduously held a view contrary to the report can disagree. The report reads in part: “We found out that the subsidy regime, as operated between the period under review (2009 and 2011), were fraught with endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency. Much of the amount claimed to have been paid as subsidy was actually not for consumed PMS. Government officials made nonsense of the PSF Guidelines due mainly to sleaze and, in some other cases, incompetence. It is therefore apparent that the insistence by top Government officials that the subsidy figures were for products consumed was a clear attempt to mislead the Nigerian people.”
Nothing can be more damming than the above submission. Heads should roll where swords have sliced. Yet heads are firmly in place. It appears that only a few hairs have fallen from the fuel subsidy scam so far. Maybe we are in a hurry to see justice or are we being unreal? Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and coincidentally a certain Governor Adams Oshiomole argued that subsidy was unsustainable and evil. We now know what is unsustainable: mediocrity, and corruption. Please gentlemen, we urge you to leave our government honorably as your poor thinking is also unsustainable.
The president was famed for courage at the town hall meeting where the government speakers argued in favour of subsidy withdrawal. It is obvious now, that some people have a poor understanding of the word courage and instead confuse cowardice for it instead. Where he should have shown exceptional courage to unmasking and lifting the veil covering these saboteurs he chose rather to face a hapless, defenseless poor nation.
When a team has shown a lack of direction and poor performance over a reasonable time, it is necessary to show the manager the way out. We have a House of Representatives that should go to discuss this matter tomorrow, we urge them to show true courage and do the needed for Nigerians though living on less than two dollars a day have continued to buy fuel for more than they can actually afford. This government has urged Nigerians to leave beyond their means. They should immediately occupy prison for Occupy Nigeria has been vindicated and season two is now eagerly anticipated if there is a lack of will on the part of those at the helm today to do justice in high places.
There is no hope for a society without a form of justice.
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