Afrigather Atiku Abubakar, former Nigeria’s Vice President, on Sunday, queried Federal authorities’s accelerated approval granted to Oando Plc to buy the onshore belongings of AGIP and ENI whereas different transactions such because the Shell/Renaissance deal and the Mobil/Seplat proceed to endure delays.
That is as the previous Vice President has additionally requested the federal authorities below President Bola Tinubu to elucidate the N7.8 trillion excellent subsidy claims by the Nigeria Nationwide Petroleum Firm restricted NNPCL, regardless of the subsidy removing, by the Tinubu’s administration.
Learn additionally: Oando acquires 100% fairness stake in Nigerian Agip Oil Firm
Other than the NNPCL claims, the IMF has additionally estimated that ” subsidy funds this 12 months will represent 3% of GDP, which is about $7.5bn. This will probably be about N11.8tn. But, the petrol shortage continues to linger whereas the Tinubu administration continues to frustrate the Dangote Refinery and even its personal NNPCL services.
“Clearly, the subsidy regime has grow to be an excellent wider conduit pipe by means of which monies for funding the 2027 election will come from,” Atiku stated.
The previous Vice President, in an announcement by Phrank Shaibu, his Particular Assistant on Public Communication, puzzled why the agency owned by the President’s nephew, received an accelerated approval on the acquisition deal.
Atiku said that Oando was being given undue and preferential remedy within the oil and fuel sector to the detriment of extra competent buyers.
The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP) within the final election, additionally knocked the Home of Representatives for failing to take correct motion on the NNPCL which has now gone forward to “mortgage the nation’s nationwide oil belongings to vested pursuits”.
“Inside simply eight months, the Nigerian Upstream Manufacturing Regulatory Fee (NUPRC) authorised a deal which noticed the divestment of ENI/AGIP onshore belongings to Oando. Inside that very same interval, Nigeria controversially withdrew all litigation towards Shell/ENI within the OPL 245 scandal in what has been described as a quid professional quo.
Learn additionally: Oando says Eni will get Govt approval to promote 100% shares of Agip
“Nonetheless, the try by SEPLAT to purchase Mobil’s onshore belongings has continued to stall for the final three years even because the consent letter stays on Tinubu’s desk. The deal between Renaissance and Shell continues to stall. In actual fact, the one deal that has absolutely scaled by means of thus far is the one involving Oando. We now know why it received accelerated approval.
The assertion says the previous Vice President additionally slammed the Bola Tinubu administration for implementing a sham subsidy regime as revealed within the monetary assertion lately launched by the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPCL).
“Tinubu visited the FMDQ in New York, visited Qatar, visited France the place he informed lies about eradicating petrol subsidies. Clearly, this isn’t a person who’s severe about attracting FDI. Extra worrisome is that he’s not even courageous sufficient to confess that subsidy is being paid. The NNPCL admits that N7.8tn is owed to the nationwide oil firm by the Nigerian authorities.
“Ideally, democracy must be authorities of the individuals, for the individuals, and by the individuals. However democracy in Nigeria has grow to be the federal government of Tinubu, by Tinubu, and for Tinubu and his members of the family.”
Atiku added, “In July 2023, the Home of Representatives, following the adoption of a movement moved by Miriam Onuoha directed NNPC Ltd to droop the acquisition of OVH belongings pending an investigation by its committee.
“The Home ad-hoc committee requested the NNPC Ltd to furnish it with details about registration paperwork/historical past from CAC for OVH, Nueoil, and NNPC Retail Restricted (NRL), Board Decision of NNPC Ltd on buy of OVH, Audited Monetary Assertion and Administration Accounts from 2015 to this point of OVH, Nueoil, NRL and NNPC Ltd and the payroll from 2015 to this point for NRL and OVH; Board Decision of NRL/CHQ for motion of head workplace to Lagos and proof of Tax Funds for NRL and OVH from 2015 to this point.
“The NNPC ignored all these and went forward to switch its possession and properties in its retail arm to OVH, thereby mortgaging the way forward for Nigerians.
“Regardless of the rot within the oil sector, the top of the NNPC, the top of the NUPRC, and the top of the NMDPRA proceed to maintain their jobs. That is clear proof that they’re fulfilling the mandate given to them by Tinubu.”
Moreover, Atiku identified that the NNPC lied in its vacuous response to their assertion final week, as it’s on file that the Kyari-led administration appointed Huub Stoksman, a former Chief Govt Officer of OVH Power, as Managing Director of NNPC Retail, and Mumuni Dangazau, the previous Chief Working Officer of OVH Power, as his Particular Adviser Downstream, lengthy earlier than the consummation of the incestuous marriage of the entitities.
Atiku additionally berated the Tinubu administration for the rise in human rights abuses.
“The Waziri Adamawa stated Tinubu who rode to energy over exaggerated claims of being a freedom fighter, had turned towards the individuals by permitting the Division of State Companies (DSS), police and even the navy to abuse the rights of residents with none penalties.
He stated that in some situations, residents had been arrested in a gestapo method with out the data of their kinfolk who go about on the lookout for them for a number of weeks.
The previous Vice President stated probably the most affected since Tinubu took workplace have been journalists whose solely crime is reporting the information and exposing authorities indiscretion.
He argued that the Cyber Crime Prevention Act 2015 had grow to be a software with which officers within the Tinubu administration had been abducting residents whereas the Nigeria Police Pressure Nationwide Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) had transmuted into the defunct SARS.
“ The harmful pattern of enforced disappearances has grow to be a nationwide embarrassment for a rustic which claims to be practising democracy. On Might 1, 2024, Daniel Ojukwu of the Basis for Investigative Journalism went lacking and was presumed kidnapped by kidnappers till he was later found to be in police custody on the orders of IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
“Ojukwu’s crime was that he uncovered the corruption of a authorities official who presently serves in Tinubu’s administration. On July 23, the DSS arrested one Aliyu Sanusi in Sama Street of Sokoto, the state capital for printing and distributing supplies forward of the #EndBadGovernanceProtest Even the arrest and launch of the previous BBC Pidgin Editor and present West Africa Regional Editor of the Dialog, Adejuwon Soyinka, clearly exhibits a sample, which goal is to intimidate journalists for talking reality to this authorities.
“Now, the police have arrested Bristol Tamunobiefiri, who owns the PIDOM Nigeria weblog on X, previously Twitter. After detaining him for over two weeks, he was granted an administrative bail, which will probably be inconceivable to fulfill. That is although the Attraction Courtroom, within the case of EFCC V. Emem Uboh (2022) LPEIR – 57968 (CA) held that administrative bail is against the law. Bristol ought to, subsequently, be arraigned in courtroom instantly or launched.”
Atiku suggested Tinubu to take circumstances of human rights abuses critically or Nigeria would stay on the threat of being slammed with sanctions which might stop western powers from promoting weapons, a growth he argues may undermine Nigeria’s capability to deal with insecurity.
“Amnesty Worldwide nonetheless has a pending petition earlier than the Overseas Committee of the US Congress towards the sale of weapons to Nigeria as a consequence of human rights considerations in keeping with the Leahy Legislation. Tinubu would do properly to curb these circumstances of rights abuses by legislation enforcement authorities who all report back to him as commander-in-chief,” he stated.
