Fuel Subsidy Report: The Guilty Must Be Brought To Book

When Nigerians protested against the removal of fuel subsidy in January, so many insults were hurled at the protesters while government officials tried to justify the removal as the only way to move the country forward.

Some Nigerians even argued that there was actually no subsidy to remove, pointing out the sharp practices of the NNPC and others in the oil sector, but the government was bent on removing the subsidy and making life harsher for Nigerians.

The conveners of the Occupy Nigeria protesters were branded unpatriotic and the Nigerian Army deployed in the second week of the protests to intimidate protesters and stop the protests.

A probe panel was set up by the House of Representatives and the results released last week has vindicated Nigerians who had all the while pointed out the massive fraud and corruption in the oil sector.

Nigerians have since discovered that they were being taken for a ride by a few greedy people. Many Nigerians and civil society groups have warned the Federal Government against sweeping the fuel subsidy probe under the carpet as had been the case with other probes over the years.

Just like in the past, top government officials, government agencies and other players in the sector have been indicted and the amount involved this time is staggering, which means, if justice is to be done, not a few heads must roll. Those involved in this grand deception must be prosecuted and punished, no matter their standing in the society. The supervising ministers too must be brought to book, apart from resigning their positions. It is that bad.

The Ad-hoc Committee that probed the fuel subsidy payments recommended that marketers that had shortchanged Nigerians be made to make refunds while civil servants involved should be sanctioned in accordance with civil service rules as well as under extant laws. We agree.

Nigeria cannot move forward as a country if such callous looting of public funds is allowed and we hereby call on the concerned authorities to make their move before papers are falsified and those indicted get away.

This time around, the judiciary should sit up and punish crime the way it should be done. Six months imprisonment for misappropriating billions of naira is no justice. There are many examples to cite. The former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun, the former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru and Chief Bode George, former chairman, Southwest zone of the Peoples Democratic Party are some of the big fishes who were slapped on the wrists for very serious crimes.

President Goodluck Jonathan has often told Nigerians that he feels their pains. We believe this is the time for him to match his words with action. The alarming manner in which his government has been put to shame by the fuel subsidy fraud calls for speedy investigations and prosecution of those involved.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and other law enforcement organs of the state must immediately investigate those indicted and ensure their prosecution. The committee’s work should not be in vain.

We salute the courage of the committee that probed the mess and opened the can of worms. There are more problems that need to be looked into and both the upper and lower chambers of the National Assembly need to sit up and begin the investigations. The power sector, the pension funds administrators, the civil service and the cost of governance are some of the most pressing issues.

President Jonathan must not allow the report to gather dust like it always had been. He needs to correct the mistakes of the past and put Nigeria on a better footing. The magnitude of corruption under his watch is too alarming to be ignored.