It’s not NNPC responsibility to pay subsidy – Ex-NEITI head

It’s not NNPC responsibility to pay subsidy – Ex-NEITI head

Waiziri Adio, former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), says the Nigeria fuel subsidy regime is plagued by opacity and corruption.

This is even as he urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to be upfront and transparent in its dealing.

He was reacting to the national oil company’s response to reports that President Bola Tinubu had approved payment for subsidy.

Tinubu had directed NNPC to utilise the 2023 final dividends due the federation to pay for subsidy.

But denying the report on subsidy, Umar Ajiya, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the NNPCL, said the oil firm is only bearing what he called the “shortfall” and not subsidy.

Weighing in on the matter on Tuesday, Adio, who is the Executive Director of Agora Policy think-tanka, said payment of subsidy was not under the NNPC purview.

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He said it was illegal for NNPC to be paying subsidy, adding that the company evasive and dishonest regarding questions on subsidy.

He said: “NNPCL’s waffling on petrol subsidy is so disingenuous. Oh, it is not subsidy, but a shortfall/PMS fx differential. Same difference. No subsidy was paid to any marketer. Has anyone said NNPCL paid subsidy to marketers and is it even within their remit to pay subsidy to marketers?”

“Former PPPRA was charged with approving subsidy for marketers and NNPC. Ministry of Finance was paying marketers after verification of claims. Only difference with NNPC was that it deducted its subsidy and other claims from money for crude given to it for domestic use (DCA).

“It is not NNPCL’s responsibility, by practice or by law, to pay subsidy to marketers. That answer to a question not asked is at best a hollow attempt at deflection.

“Saying there is no subsidy because selling PMS below landing cost is a transaction between the company and the Federation (repaid or netted off) is a lame play with words that take everyone for a moron. NNPCL can use this free advice: when in a hole, stop digging,” he tweeted.

It’s not NNPC responsibility to pay subsidy – Ex-NEITI head