Senators on Wednesday rejected the interim report of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) over the ongoing fuel crisis in the country.
The senators said the report was incomplete without an exhaustive consideration of the re-introduction of fuel subsidy by the Executive arm of government without the approval of the Senate.
They said there was need to find out the rationale behind the decision of the Executive arm of government to pay subsidy over oil without appropriation as required by the law.
Senators who spoke after the report was presented said they had the feeling that the report had been doctored by the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
In the report presented by its chairman, Kabir Marafa, Zamfara-APC, the committee gave five recommendations as the solution to the fuel crisis in the country.
His words: “As part of short term measures, the federal government should consider special foreign exchange concession to oil marketers to enable them commence importation of fuel and sell at approved N145 per litre.
“Two, federal government should consider giving waiver on payment of Nigerian Ports Authority, NIMASA and the Customs Service and others to make the landing cost lower. This is because it is established beyond reasonable doubt that the landing cost of PMS today is N171 and government has fixed it at N145 per litre. Therefore, for us to move forward, we have to find a way of bringing the landing cost down.
“Three, we are going to operate two price regimes. Marketers selling at deregulated rate while NNPC sell at the approved N145. But there is the fear that NNPC will be selling to the marketers who will sell at higher prices.
“Four, federal government should consider having special tax holiday to oil marketers as a way of subsidising imports.
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“Five, is complete deregulation. The federal government should consider deregulating the PMS, AGO and kerosene market.”
Hardly had the chairman finished his presentation than the legislator took turn to condemn it, particularly, for being quiet over the reintroduction of subsidy without the approval of the Senate.
According to Nafada Bayero, Gombe-APC, the report looked very strange.
He said the committee should be directed to go back and work on a report that is sincerely from it and not one that had allegedly been tampered with by outsiders.
His words: “These recommendations as far as I am concerned look like a report that is imported or that is written by somebody not from this Senate. If it is a report of this Senate, they can’t bring about five different recommendations on same issue. Mr. President, may I call on this committee to go back and work again and bring a report of its own, not one that was influenced by outsiders.”
Stella Oduah, Anambra-PDP, said the report would not stand the test of time.
She said, “This is an unfair report. Very, very unfair and extremely biased report.”
As far as Dino Melaye, Kogi –APC, is concerned, to accept the report by the committee was to promote corruption.
He said it was necessary to order the executive arm of government to refund the money spent on subsidy without appropriation by the National Assembly.
“Mr. President, this report if adopted will only continue to empower the corruption that is already ongoing in the oil sector in this country. What we ought to be debating here is the corruption that is going on in the oil industry, in NNPC and the reason why our oil industry has failed but nothing of such was mentioned in this report. This report rather is energising the corruption that is already ongoing.
“It is true that marketers may not be able to sell at N145 but is abominable for any government to spend government money without appropriation by the National Assembly. All money that was spent without appropriation should be refunded and approach the Senate for proper appropriation. Mr. President, I am particularly asking the committee to go back, become born again, sit down, do a holy exercise and come up with resolutions.”
Based on the various submissions, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, directed the committee to do a review of its report and reflect the areas of concern raised by the legislators that contributed.