Transform Nigeria Citizens Initiative Calls on President Goodluck Jonathan to Prosecute all those indicted by the Fuel Subsidy Probe
The Transform Nigeria Movement (TNM) known officially as Transform Nigeria Citizens Initiative calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to implement the entire recommendations of the House of Representatives report on the nation’s fuel subsidy regime.
The findings of the ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives was not surprising given the prevailing poor institutional linkages, infrastructural weakness, governance and process lapses as well as some kind of impunity, which appear to frustrate all efforts at enthroning openness, transparency and good business ethics in the oil and gas industry over the years.
Nigeria will not make any meaningful progress unless these leakages that haemorrhage the economy are plugged. Exposing and prosecuting these culprits is a first step and consistent with the role of the legislature in the implementation of the global principles of extractive industries transparency initiative, which Nigeria voluntarily signed up to in 2003.
We are particularly concerned that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), last week described the report as mere “fact finding”.
First indications that the report may be heading for what has been called the “mortuary of probes” emerged when the Political Adviser to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Alhaji Ali Gullack, described it as lacking credibility.
Transform Nigeria Movement recalls that on 16 January 2012, Diezani Alison-Madueke (Mrs.) CON
Honorable Minister of Petroleum Resources with Presidential approval, had written to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to “immediately review all payments made in respect of subsidies on PMS and kerosene and to take all necessary steps to prosecute any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-invoicing, and related illegalities in an open and transparent manner.”
While we appreciate the AG’s position that “in discharging this onerous responsibility, government must be guided by the dictates of the rule of law and due process as required of any democratically elected and responsible government”, We Urge the President Goodluck Jonathan and his Attorney General Mohammed Adoke, SAN, to make good Mr. President’s initial reaction to the Report of the Fuel Subsidy probe to the effect that “any person found wanting will be prosecuted, irrespective of the person’s standing in the society”.
Nigerians expect no less from this administration.
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