President Goodluck Jonathan is reportedly handing off the subsidy report written by the Farouk Lawan-led committee on fuel subsidy management to the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, with instructions that the crime fighting body carry out thorough justice on all indicted persons.
A source in the Presidency, cited by the Nation, said the President is sending off the “whole document” to the EFCC who now have the green light to investigate officials implicated in the N3 trillion fuel subsidy fraud uncovered during the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probe into the fuel subsidy management earlier this year.
“The President has no reservation on areas to be probed by the EFCC. This has clearly shown that he is ready to allow the law to take its full course,” the source said, adding that the move should clear all doubts about President Jonathan’s reluctance to take action against corruption.
Civil society groups have for weeks threatened to once again embark on a nationwide strike should the President fail to push for action against guilty parties in the Petroleum subsidy fraud, most of whom are said to be members of Jonathan’s political base.
The Nation reported that Jonathan mandated Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, Attorney General of the Federation, to take the report to the EFCC and the anti-graft commission will receive the report on or before Thursday, sources say.
There are also reports of a secret meeting between EFCC boss Ibrahim Lamorde and chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Barrister Ekpo Nta, as well as Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) chairman, Dr. Sam Saba.
The three are said to have met to discuss the best way to implement the subsidy report and House recommendations.
The damning report, which was presented by Hon. Farouk Lawan last month, recommends that top oil marketers and officials in the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
According to the report, the EFCC is to further investigate 121 oil marketers, including:
- 17 marketers that did not obtain FOREX but claimed to have imported petroleum products.
- 15 marketers who obtained FOREX but did not import petroleum products.
- 71 oil marketers to face probe and refund N230.1billion
- 18 oil marketers committed other infractions.
The EFCC is also set to investigate how 3.171 billion litres of subsidised PMS never made it into the Nigerian market. Other shocking revelations made in the report, include payments of N999 million 128 times in a 24-hour period made by the accountant general and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria to as yet undisclosed beneficiaries in 2009.
The subsidy probe report also recommended the refund of 1.07 trillion to the treasury, stating that if the subsidy had been managed properly, the sum would have been available “to the three tiers of government for budget enhancement”.
