A group known as the Arewa Citizens Watch for Good Governance (ACWGG), has called on the federal government to show its commitment in governance by going after those who have through corruption mismanaged the oil and gas sector and contributed to the present hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement by the chairman, Aliyu Sani, the group expressed concerns over the high cost of fuel and the growing poverty and hunger in the land, and its attendant consequencies.
He called for the immediate removal of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kolo Kyari, for “misleading President Tinubu into removing petrol subsidy without provision of palliative measures.”
According to the Sani, the mismanagement and corruption within the oil and gas sector have hindered economic growth and contributed to the financial burden faced by ordinary Nigerians.
“We expect the administration to go after those that have benefitted from the opaque subsidy aspiration just as Nigerians are bearing with the hardship induced by the sudden removal of the subsidy,” the group stated, adding, “ Our people cannot continue to die of hunger, while the people that put us in the situation that warranted the removal of the subsidy continue to enjoy the privileges of their offices.”
Sani in his statement further said, “the recent increase in NNPCL’s output, without corresponding investment in the company, has instead exposed the pervasive corruption within the sector. We find it alarming that NNPCL was declaring paltry production volume, which falls short of our OPEC quota even though the country has not recorded any major disaster.
“We believe that the Nigerian people deserve better. As a nation blessed with abundant natural resources, it is only fair that the benefits of these resources are felt by all citizens, not just a select few.
To this end, the group warned that failure of the federal government to heed to their call will result in leading angry, hungry and frustrated Nigerians to a massive civil and protest to press home their points.
