Hope that the Federal government will speedily implement the findings of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on fuel subsidy that indicted government agencies, officials and oil firms may remain still-born, as? government is said to be considering a number of issues before it can take steps.
Sources in the presidency disclosed to LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the administration sees the House report as only one keg of the expected twin legs of the National Assembly.
It was also learnt that the government believes that it would be able to take a comprehensive look at the report when it receives a similar report from the Senate.
The presidency, it was learnt, is closely monitoring the situation in the National Assembly, but incapacitated from acting on the reps report because the process is incomplete.
“The government is actually following developments in the National Assembly as regards the subsidy probe closely. We are concerned about the need to cleanse the oil sector but the government needs to get a clear and complete message from the lawmakers so that we don’t act in isolation,” a source stated.
The source stated that petroleum minister Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke may not be affected by the probe because she appeared to have foreseen the situation when she opened a probe into the sector in January, especially after the subsidy-induced nationwide strike.
“A number of persons are of the view that the probe report cannot be said to have indicted the petroleum minister because she is not seen to have directly violated the laws.
“She herself suspected some wrongdoings in the sector and instituted probes. The probe committees are still sitting, so the report of the House Committee may just have pre-empted those committees the minister inaugurated, the source said.