Why senators are against FUEL SUBSIDY removal

BY PAUL ODENYI

Abuja-Most senators from the opposition political parties are kicking against the proposed removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government to enable the Senate committee probing the operation of the fuel subsidy scheme complete its work.

For many of them, it is hoped that the matter will not be tabled for debate on the floor of the Senate since there were indications that the scheme has been abused in the past by the government.
Senator Datti Baba Ahmed (CPC Kaduna) said,weekend, that the more urgent task before the upper legislative body is to establish the conditions under which appropriation for subsidy in the 2011 budget was overshot without recourse to it.

The upper legislative body, while debating the framework of the resolution for the investigation of the scheme on October 12, had said the government had overshot the approved subsidy vote by over N600 billion.
The Senator also faulted the plan by the government to set-up an elders committee to manage the proceeds of the fuel subsidy removal to ensure that it is properly utilised.’

He said: “It will not come to the National Assembly in that way unless we have alternative views on the funds saved on the removal of fuel subsidy. “
“Now, let me just tell you, that is very wrong on the side of the government. Every member of staff in every office of every ministry is supposed to be eminent as far as the operational laws of Nigeria are concerned.
”So, if the system now says Directors, Deputy Directors, Permanent Secretaries, all the way up are not eminent enough, as far as I am concerned, if you can do your work without commission and omission, you are eminent enough to deliver services to the nation. So, that has to be cautioned really. There’s a big fundamental error in that thinking.”

The Senator also said though he accepted the decision of the Court of Appeal with regard to the presidential election of last April, the figures as collated was too good to be true.
“A situation where some states threw in more than 95 per cent of all the votes some even 99 per cent is too good to be true. Others typically threw in between 40 and 45 per cent. But this is Nigeria.”