Subsidy: Senate Directs NNPC To Harmonize Claims

The Senate on Monday, November 30, directed the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to harmonize all subsidy claims from October to December 2015. 

The Senate in its directive said the harmonization of the subsidy claims will forestall a recurrence of scarcity especially during the Yuletide.

The committee led by Danjuma Goje said the N413 billion Maura proposed for subsidy payment did not include the claim for the three months and therefore charged the stakeholders to harmonize.

The breakdown of the budget includes subsidy payment for petroleum imports which is the major reason for fuel scarcity the country has been experiencing over the past weeks.

Goje who is the chairman of the senate committee on appropriation pointed out that the amount for subsidy payment did not have the sum for October to December 2015 included.

He queried the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over forward carry-over of subsidy bills from 2014 fiscal year to join the ones from January to September 2015, leaving out three critical months of the year.

Albert Akpan representing Akwa-Ibom senatorial district said that NNPC had deducted without appropriation by hiding its own share of over N700 billion subsidy payment.

The committee also approved the request of Jamila Suara, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum resources, that all agencies of government concerned with subsidy including the Budget Office, Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF), CBN, and NNPC to return to the drawing board and submit later in the day, 3 pm, a comprehensive bill, that covers the remaining months of the year, 2015.

“This government is about change; change from sordid past; change is to totally eliminate queues from our filling stations; every person must play a role to effect positive changes in the economy,” the chairman continued.

Meanwhile, Naij.com recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had requested the sum of N2.10 trillion to  finance the budget as against an earlier approved N882 billion.

The letter which was read on the floor of the senate by senate president, Bukola Saraki indicates that the N1.2209 trillion increments was predicated emerging realities in the country and the loans would be sourced from both local and foreign sources.