Mkpoikana Udoma
04 July 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt — The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has described as laughable the plan by Federal Government to share the $350million Sani Abacha loot recovered from Switzerland to poor Nigerians.
The senior oil workers union advised that the money should rather be channeled into providing basic amenities such as improving the power situation in the country, which would be beneficial to all Nigerians.
Speaking to SweetCrude Reports, PENGASSAN Chairman, Port Harcourt Zone, Mr. Azubuike Azubuike, said the plan by the Federal Government to share the money to poor people was another strategy of re-looting the recovered loot by politicians.
Azubuike explained that the country currently does not have a genuine statistics to determined who is poor and how the poor households could be reached.
He said just like the way ecological funds set aside by the federal government to tackle environmental issues in the country have always ended up in the pockets of politicians, the $350million would be embezzled by politicians should the government go ahead with its plans.
According to him, “It is very ridiculous that the government is thinking about sharing the $350million Abacha loot to 300,000 poor families. This is a country that does not even have statistics, how do you even get the poor families?
“How will the government be able to trace people who don’t even know their councilors? We don’t even have statistics of rich and poor people.
“For me, this idea is ill-conceived and not a progressive idea; I think the government should be thinking of using the money to provide basic infrastructure that will benefit the people.”
The oil workers union further explained that general election is eight months away and politicians are already looking for money to fund their electoral campaigns, maintaining that the recovered loot should be used for infrastructure that will benefit the people.
“Sharing the money as planned by the government will be another way of re-looting the recovered loot because we don’t know who is poor, we don’t have the yardstick and we don’t even have the statistics.
“Take a look at the ecological funds, the people and communities ravaged by erosion, flood, and desertification are not benefitting from that fund but you will hear the government say billions have been spent.
“There is critical infrastructure that Nigerians need, such as electricity and good roads. If we can be sincere as a nation and get our power sector right, a lot of jobs will be generated which will have effects on our GDP,” PENGASSAN said.