MD Urges FG To Jail Fuel Subsidy Culprits

The Federal Government and the National Assembly have been urged to ensure that those found culpable after the ongoing probe in fuel subsidy funds are prosecuted and jailed to serve as deterrent to others.

The Managing Director of Harrison Oil, Mr. Inyie Harry while speaking in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt said it was high time President Goodluck Jonathan started being proactive in tackling the problem of fuel scarcity and other sharp practices in the oil and gas industry.

Said he: “Jonathan should be forceful as his aides and members of his cabinet are doing what they like. We are experiencing fuel scarcity in Nigeria, buying at exorbitant prices and above the official price of N97 per litre. I call on President Jonathan to look around and take the best hands to work with so that he can move the nation forward.”

Blaming 20 percent of the problem in the oil and gas industry on the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the oil merchant observed that as the agency saddled with the refining, distribution and importation of petroleum products in the country, NNPC is not performing its role effectively.

According to him, all the organisations such as the PPPRA, DPR and IPMAN as well as other stakeholder agencies should be completely overhauled to flush out those he described as bad eggs who are distabilising the oil industry.

“How can a man who does not operate a filling station gain over the sweat of those who have filling stations while those who have don’t get anything,” he queried, pointing out that the President has all it takes to transform the oil and gas sector if he wants.

“Fuel scarcity in this country is embarrassing and it should be faced squarely now that subsidy has been removed from fuel,” Harry, a PDP loyalist added, revealing that petroleum marketers now buy the product at higher price than before.

“We are selling as we buy and now there is price value. We now buy higher than we used to so we sell as we buy.”

Asked how he would want President Jonathan to tackle the issue of Boko Haran, he said: “The cabal are not happy with Jonathan and they are working against him. There are those in his cabinet that he has to identify, they are right in his government trying to see how they can frustrate his efforts and until he is able to fish them out, I don’t think he can do anything.”

According to him, “as the President and the Commander-In-Chief, he has all it takes to tackle the problem of Boko Haram. Nobody or cartel that is bigger than the government.”

Shedie Okpara