Keyamo tackles Saraki over fuel subsidy fraud claims

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has attacked the Director General (DG) of the PDP Presidential Campaign, Senator Bukola Saraki, over comments that President Muhammadu Buhari fuel subsidy claims were fraudulent.

The Director, Strategic Communications, of the APC Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), said the Senate President knows very well that in 2014 and part of 2015, the PDP government that was in power was reporting to Nigerians daily PMS consumption of 35-40 million litres per day, adding that in January, 2014 for example, the average monthly consumption was 38 million Iitres per day.

Saraki had in an interview during a Channels Television programme aired Wednesday night, said the Buhari government’s arbitrary payment of subsidy on assumption that Nigeria consumes fifty million litres (50 million litres) of fuel a day, is fraudulent.

But in his response, Keyamo said that the fuel import volume had been fluctuating since the last government and that it was not true that there was a scam in the accounting process since it is being handled as internal cost recovery by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

He said, “The allegation that the national oil company prevailed on Mr. President not to seek appropriation for subsidy and to rather treat it as cost under-recovery is not only laughable and mischievous, but it is a blatant lie.

“Verifiable records indicate that NNPC has never claimed subsidy payment from any government in its history of operation. All NNPC’s transactions in this regard have been treated as product costs under-recovery.”

He accused Senator Saraki of resorting to baseless campaign of defamation directed at the person of Mr. President.

“NNPC, like any other business entity, does its business and recovers its cost from its revenues. It is instructive to note that in his rush to indict the NNPC and the President, willy-nilly, Dr. Bukola Saraki forgot that a Senate Committee was set up by him to investigate the intervention of NNPC in PMS imports.

“The mandate of the Committee includes volumes, costs and any associated under-recoveries. The big question remains; why would he not wait for the outcome of the Committee he set up to investigate the matter? Is it because he believes the outcome of his Committee will not satisfy his predetermined mindset?

“Saraki’s resort to poorly choreographed and worn-out political brinksmanship is fueled by the obvious absence of any credible agenda or bearing to present to Nigerians in their campaigns.

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“In clear demonstration of hallucination with figures, Dr. Bukola Saraki claimed, in an interview with Channels Television a few days ago, that Nigeria’s petrol consumption is about 20-22 million Iitres per day and that the current import level of about 50million litres is a scam and fraudulent,” he said.

According to Keyamo, Saraki who was part of the 7th Senate knew very well that in 2014 and part of 2015, the PDP government then was reporting to Nigerians daily PMS consumption of 35-40 million litres per day, adding that in January, 2014 for example, the average monthly consumption was 38 million Iitres per day.

He added, “By January, 2015 under the same government of PDP, they reported 36 milIion Iitres per day and March 2015, the daily consumption reported by PDP government was 45 million Iitres per day, whilst importing at levels above 80million litres per day).

“Strangely, years later, the PDP Campaign DG is peddling a phantom fuel consumption figure of 20-22 million litres per day.

“The PDP Chief Campaigner discountenanced the obvious fact that within the last three years of the current administration, the Nigerian economy that PDP left in comatose has been jump-started to vibrancy leading to remarkable changes in energy consumption needs and patterns.”

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