The national
assembly should immediately begin impeachment proceedings against the current
president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Dr. Jonathan is culpable in
the oil theft and non-remittance of revenue from crude oil by NNPC under his
administration. Reading through the reasons adduced for the suspension of the
CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, you would be tempted to think that
the federal government is indeed acting in good faith and in the interest of
Nigerians. But if you take a critical look at the event leading to the
suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, you would see that Dr. Jonathan and
the leadership of the NNPC are culpable.
Most Nigerians
will continue to wallow in abject poverty if all corrupt leaders of government
are not made to return their loot and brought to justice. Nigerian leaders of
government believe that they can always get away with crime and criminality
against the Nigerian people but it is up to us the citizens to prove them wrong
and show them that power reside with the followers because we have suffered too
long on account of the financial recklessness of our leaders.
NNPC was
established in 1977 after the discovery of crude oil and have been the manager
of Nigeria’s crude oil that has become a curse to the country rather than a
blessing. Crude oil that has changed the fortunes of many countries and led to
their economic expansion as well as growth has become a curse to Nigeria.
Increase in oil prices over the years have not led to infrastructural
development. Nigerian leaders continue to steal the money from our oil wealth
thereby depriving the country and its citizens a better life.
NNPC has
continued to hide the truth from Nigerians and as it has always been the case,
the presidency has once again tried to cover up the allegation of the
non-remittance of about 76 per cent of crude oil revenue amounting to about $20
billion between January 2012 and July 2013. This has happened several times
since independence.
In one of my
articles titled “FG, Tell Us the Truth about NNPC” published by This Day
Newspaper on 18 October, 2010, I surmised that it would be better if the
federal government under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan would be sincere in its
presumed audit of the finances of the NNPC from 1999 to 2010.
The suspension
of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is similar to what happened in 2010 when the
then Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola was redeployed to another
ministry for making a statement that indicted the management of the NNPC. The
Jonathan administration did nothing to investigate these claims up until 2013
when another fresh allegation came from a man who should be in the know.
Those who are in
the know of activities in the NNPC have at one time or the other made different
assertions and allegations. The federal government have always been quick to
cover up these allegations rather than bring all the culprits to book because
it is true that there exist a cult in NNPC and this cult have been responsible
for the problems in the oil sector.
Almost four
years after demanding the truth on NNPC in my article, the federal government
has yet to expose those that have been responsible for turning our oil wealth
into a curse and Nigerians on the other hand have been laid back and
lackadaisical.
It is expected
that the federal government should be a good and prudent manager of our
nation’s oil and gas resources. But leaders of government are also working in
connivance with individuals that are responsible for our economic misfortunes
and the impoverishment of Nigerians.
Anyone who tries
to expose the ills in NNPC and the oil sector is gone after. We have had
governments that rely solely on oil and gas revenues but have they ever
wondered what will happen if and when the oil dries up? The plan of most
Nigerian leaders is to get whatever they can from our oil revenues before it
dries up. They have refused to switch our agrarian economy to an industrial
economy especially in the manufacturing sector.
We have been through this road before many times as a nation but the
onus lies on the Nigerian public to rise up and demand for justice and
accountability from leaders of government.
The federal
government has failed us and has shown that the citizens do not matter or have
a say in the affairs of the nation. The presidency makes decisions not minding
the thinking and feelings of the generality of the Nigerian population. Several
times, atrocities committed by the NNPC are shielded from the public besides
the federal government do not give a hoot what people think. This has led to a
situation in which another whistle blower would be suspended and accused of
financial recklessness just to cover up for the high level of corruption that
has been going on in NNPC. In 2010, it was reported that NNPC failed to pay the
$5 billion it got from NLNG into the federation account. President Jonathan did
not do anything about it besides that was the last we heard about the matter.
The president has not told Nigerians why he would shield the truth about
activities in the NNPC from them.
Now monies not
remitted by NNPC into the federation account have grown from $5 billion into
$20 billion because nothing has been done by the federal government to put an
end to this crime. Nigerians are nonchalant and that is the reason we are
experiencing more fraud in a corporation that hold the key to our economy.
NNPC is supposed
to be transparent and free from financial complicities because of the role it
plays in the nation’s economy. It is unfortunate that this corporation has
always been enmeshed in one financial misconduct or the other. One can only
hope that the national assembly would rise to the occasion and do the needful.
The Minister of
Petroleum Resources is conniving with the NNPC and so also is the presidency.
Obviously, the presidency needs to dissociate itself from the corruption
happening in NNPC by auditing it and bringing to justice every individual that
has been responsible for siphoning funds that were meant for the smooth running
of the nation’s economy.
The national
assembly should come up with more stringent laws to fight corruption in the
NNPC by debating and passing a bill that will help address oil theft and the
non-remittance of oil revenue into the federation account. This can only be
achieved if members of the national assembly are not a party to the quick and
brazen defence of the NNPC by the presidency.
Members of the
national assembly in this dispensation would have their names written in gold
if they can help put an end to the longstanding corruption in NNPC. It is
difficult making a sense of the FG and NNPC deceit.
