NLC wants National Assembly to release report on oil subsidy probe

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday called on the National Assembly to release the report of its investigations on oil subsidy payments.

A statement signed by NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, in Abuja noted that the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, was yet to release the report to the public.

Mr. Omar was quoted as saying that there had been insinuations of unprecedented pressure being mounted on the legislature from various quarters to jettison the report.

“These interest groups have been identified as oil marketers that might face sanctions based on assessment of their submissions during the probe.

“Others are speculators and briefcase businessmen who will lose out on cheap money and government officials who have been feeding fat on contrived leakages in the oil industry and stand indicted.

“Our concern is that these pressures might overwhelm the report of the probe or if released might not be implemented by the executive.

“The rush by the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Deziani Allison-Madueke, a major actor in the removal of oil subsidy, to set up committees and taskforces to probe the oil industry, though laudable, is tantamount to medicine after death.’’

Mr. Omar further stated that the action of the minister might also be a distraction and a ploy to pre-empt the report by the legislature and instigate a major cover up.

He, however, expressed confidence that that the legislators would remain steadfast just as they did during the last probe on privatisation of public enterprises.

Mr. Omar was also confident that the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Farouk Lawan, would live up to his words, when he assured that the report would be released and that there would be no sacred cows.

According to him, Nigerians are still aghast at the manner the power probe was truncated in spite of the troubling findings and abysmal performance of the power sector.

“We wish to remind all those currently parading the corridors of power to negatively influence the probe report that investigations into the oil subsidy removal was a product of a recent national strike and mass protest by workers and the Nigerian people.

“We urge the legislators to remain steadfast to their mandate as true representatives of the people, and resist all attempts to water down the report or stop its release to the public.

“It is apparent that a lot depends on this report in order to debunk and put paid to the mountain of lies and continued exploitation of the Nigerian people over the years through incessant and arbitrary increases in fuel prices, ostensibly in the name of removal of oil subsidy.”