FG, NNPC challenge El-Rufai, Rainoil boss to prove return of subsidy claims

The Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) have refuted claims by former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai and Gabriel Ogbechie, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rainoil Limited that petrol subsidy is back.

This is even as the government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources challenged the duo and any other who make this claim to provide evidence to justify their allegations.

Ripples Nigeria reports that Ogbechie, had claimed that the federal government (FG) now spends N600 billion on petrol subsidy monthly.

Earlier, El-Rufai had on April 15, 2024 claimed that Nigeria is still subsidising Petrol because the government has realised that the way it implemented the fuel subsidy initially required some adjustments.

Reacting to the clams, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, stressed that fuel subsidy was a sensitive issue, but noted that the government had made its position known on the matter.

When contacted for the reaction of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, on the matter, his media aide, Nneamaka Okafor, provided a video clip where her boss reacted to the claims of the former Kaduna governor and marketers.

In the clip, Lokpobiri insisted that petrol subsidy had ceased to exist, and urged those who alleged that the government was still subsidising the commodity to provide evidence and facts.

READ ALSO:El-Rufai claims Tinubu govt has paid trillions on fuel subsidy since inception

The minister said, “I don’t want to delve into that issue. It is a very sensitive issue. It is better we get all the facts. As far as I’m concerned, the President removed the subsidy and it remains removed till today. Anybody who is saying that subsidy is being paid, it is left for the person to bring the facts and then we will talk about them.”

Asked whether the price being paid for petrol currently is determined by market forces, the minister replied, “It may not be determined by market forces but let us deal with the price as it is today.

“Every government has a duty to do certain things, not only in the petroleum sector but in several other sectors, to be able to cushion the effect and burden on Nigerians.”

The NNPC also said it was recovering its full cost on the petroleum products that it imports into Nigeria, and insisted that there was nothing like petrol subsidy any more.

NNPC is the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria currently.

According to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye, he insisted that the national oil firm had stopped subsidising petrol.

“We are recovering our full costs from the products we import. It is important to emphasise that the subsidy is no longer in place. Contrary to allegations, the petrol subsidy has not been reinstated,” he stated.

By: Babajide Okeowo

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