The minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has faulted claims by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) that government was economical with the truth regarding the planned deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry.
A statement issued yesterday, the NNPC spokesman, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, said that nothing has changed about the government’s objective of deregulating the downstream sector of the petroleum industry aimed at encouraging the influx of investments and the plough-back of savings from subsidy into key infrastructure projects.
He said: “There is no lie about the fact that government has consulted widely and is still consulting with key stakeholders like labour, traditional institutions, organised private sector, the National Assembly to reach an amicable understanding of the issues involved in deregulation. And I am sure labour cannot deny this fact.
“The facts on ground suggest that government cannot continue to bear the burden of subsidy which currently gulps a huge chunk of the total annual federal budget.”
Ajuonuma argued that it was a fact that the subsidy claims has benefited only a few individuals to the detriment of the generality of Nigerians for whom it is meant.
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“Let us be bold enough to call a spade a spade. The masses travel on big mass transit vehicles which run on diesel. Lorries and other heavy-duty vehicles that convey farm produce from the rural areas to urban centres are also powered by diesel which has since been deregulated. Our research also indicates that BRT buses in places like Lagos as well as other mass commuter schemes which convey workers to and from their workplace, including over 80 percent of NLC members, on a daily basis, are fuelled by diesel. So who benefits from
He further called on the NLC to remain progressive and join hands with government in ensuring that the money saved from withdrawal of subsidy is ploughed back into the economy to stimulate growth and ensure effective penetration of developmental projects for the general well-being of Nigerians.