Ben Agande
24 August 2012, Sweetcrude, ABUJA — SOME oil marketers, indicted for illegally collecting over N400 billion subsidy fund for fuel they did not import, have started refunding the money.
Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, disclosed this at end of the National Economic Council meeting Thursday in Abuja, saying his fellow governors were excited that the Federal Government’s effort at curbing corruption in the fuel supply chain had started to yield result as some marketers had started to make refunds.
The governors of the 36 states of the federation at the meeting voiced their backing for the Federal Government in the efforts to recover the subsidy claims from the marketers.
According to Obi, Nigerians need to show understanding by supporting the government’s efforts at recovering the funds.
He said: “The National Executive Council, NEC, commended the Federal Government on its present stand in the prosecution of those who were wrongly paid subsidy money and on the need for them to refund it fully. From the report we got today, some have started refunding.
“It is a serious case that people were paid for vessels that were not anywhere near the Nigerian waters. And I think when Federal Government does a thing that is courageous and right, it should be encouraged and that can, at least, give it the courage to do more.
“So, we support the Federal Government in the effort to clean up the entire value chain and process of petroleum industry; they have our full support.”
Also, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, briefed NEC on the progress being made by the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme’s youth engagement and employment initiative, announcing that the meeting endorsed the plan to launch the programme in the states to sensitise the people on the processes of job selection and payment to beneficiaries, beginning from September 6.
