‘Corruption, Not Petroleum Subsidy, is Nigeria’s Problem’

This Day

30 June 2011

 ‘Corruption, Not Petroleum Subsidy, is Nigeria’s Problem’

By Abimbola Akosile

Some coalitions have pinpointed political corruption, rather than the issue of petroleum subsidy, as the major problem bedevilling development in Nigeria.

The assertion was jointly made in Abuja by the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria Coalition and Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC), which are pro-transparency, accountability and anti-corruption civil society organisations.

Their stance was contained in a statement signed by the National coordinator PWYP Nigeria, Mrs. Faith Nwadishi; National secretary ZCC, Mr. Babatunde Oluajo; and Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Auwal Musa Rafsanjani.

“As believers in the fact that the sole essence of governance is the welfare and security of the people we align ourselves with the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress on subsidies on petroleum products in Nigeria”, the trio noted.

“While we are fully aware of the ‘kleptocracy’ in the downstream of the nation’s oils and gas sector, the fact remains that the removal of the so-called subsidy in the pump prices of petroleum products as the history of the incessant hike in the prices of these products have shown is not  the solution.