Adebayo Adenrele
…says subsidy was claimed on pipelines that never existed
The former Governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda has said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) and members of the cabals were the greatest beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy regime.
Yuguda said the cabals were the entrenched interest in the subsidy bazaar and were the major forces fighting against its removal.
Yuguda, who served as Governor of Bauchi between 2007 and 2015, revealed this while speaking on a National Television.
The former Governor said when he was the Chairman of Subsidy Committee between 2008 and 2009, he discovered that NNPC and others only filled papers and invoices after they claimed to have pumped fuel from pipelines that never existed.
He lamented that despite recommendations to stop the fuel subsidy, its policy was never implemented because of the Cabals involved.
In his words, “I chaired the subsidy committee between 2008 and 2009 and everything about the subsidy regime, the scam in the subsidy regime was discovered by our Committee.
“Recommendations were made but unfortunately, they were never implemented.
“I’m sad to let Nigerians know what I saw, we came across situations where subsidy was claimed on pipelines that never existed.
“And NNPC just claimed to have pumped so, so amount of fuel from Warri to Kaduna, which is never true. NNPC too is involved.
“Those that pumped and those in the subsidy scam, they just fill papers, invoices, they claim subsidy on it.
“In fact there was an instance of a pipeline that was supposed to exist between Lagos and Warri and huge of money was collected on Subsidy on the pipeline that never existed. This is Nigeria for you.
“All the Marketers are involved in this scam, and sadly, Nigerian subsidy will go on subsidizing subsahara Africa and Central Africa because the bulk of this product has been smuggled out of this country, then who is subsidizing who?
“Government know about it and attempts were made but atimes it can be very frustrating in Nigeria to implement policies especially where there are cabals. It can’t be stopped but you can’t stop it. The political will to solve it is not there.”
