Fayose faults Osinbajo on fuel subsidy

By Rotimi Ojomo Ado-Ekiti

Ekiti state governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose, has faulted Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on his claim that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the one bearing the cost of fuel subsidy and not the federal government. Reacting to the statement, the Ekiti state governor said there was no difference between the corporation and the federal government. “What is the difference between NNPC and the federal government?

Who is NNPC and who is federal government? Is NNPC now an autonomous agency of the federal government?” Fayose said in a statement signed by his media aide, Lere Olayinka yesterday.

The vice president had told journalists in Lagos on Monday that NNPC and not the federal government was paying the N26 subsidy per litre of petrol.

His comment came on the heels of a statement made by the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Maikanti Baru, that the landing cost of petrol was now N171 as against the official pump price of N145 per litre, and that the federal government was paying N26 as subsidy on every litre of petrol imported to retain the pump price of N145. Fayose said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government should stop addressing Nigerians as if they were kindergarten pupils.

“Fact is, NNPC does not have rights to spend money it generates from the sales of crude oil. It does not have the rights to swap crude oil for subsidy,” he submitted.

“Where is NNPC getting the money with which it is subsidising petrol with N26 per litre? Is NNPC spending money from the sales of crude oil that should be paid into the federation account to pay subsidy?”

The governor urged the Vice president not to engage in buck passing. He urged him to tell Nigerians the truth as to how much is being spent on subsidy by the federal government

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