The Senate has urged the Federal Government to direct relevant agencies to pay the outstanding subsidy arrears owed to independent oil marketers within two weeks.
Senators on Thursday accused the Presidency of sabotaging itself by refusing to settle outstanding debts totalling N800 billion to independent marketers.
The resolution was sequel to a motion moved by the Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Kabir Marafa on the need to avert the looming crises in fuel supply due to non-payment of fuel subsidy to oil marketing companies.
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The lawmaker said his committee received a letter from Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association on the non-payment of subsidy arrears by the Federal Government.
He expressed concern that after the National Assembly approved the Executive request, the Debt Management Office (DMO) introduced stringent measures for the issuance of promissory notes.
These, he listed, include: document review by an International Accounting Firm, bonds to be issued in phases on the basis of discount with 10 years duration and reverse auction for the issuance of the promissory notes.
While expressing worry that the continuous delay in the payment of the arrears have increased debt from about N429 billion to close to N1 trillion between June 2017 to date, he said this may increase due to bank interest charges and forex.
“Senate also observes that the procedure of document review by an international accounting firm after it was authenticated by the Presidential Initiative for Continuous Audit (PICA), approved by FEC and passed by the National Assembly is a wrong process that calls for questions,” he said.
In their separate contributions to the motion, some lawmakers criticised the Federal Government for not paying the subsidy claims despite approval by the National Assembly since July.
Responding to the submission of Senate Majority Leader, Ahmad Lawan, that some people are sabotaging the government, two senators: Ibrahim Danbaba (PDP, Sokoto State) and Suleiman Hunkunyi (PDP, Kaduna State) posited that such saboteurs are within the government.
“Yes, there could be sabotage but it is also very clear if there is sabotage that it is definitely from within the Executive itself. It must purge itself of those within it that are trying to sabotage the activity of government,” Hunkunyi said.
On his part, Danbaba who is also a member of the Appropriations Committee, took a swipe at the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, for failing to appear in person when the committee convened a meeting to resolve the matter.
He stated: “There is no question of sabotage. If there is any element of sabotage, it is the government itself that is sabotaging itself because the issue of how this matter should be settled rests with those people that are in control of our finances in the Executive arm of government. The marketers are frustrated because some agencies of government do not want to cooperate with the committee so that this matter can be put to rest once and for all.”
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the session, urged the government to immediately pay the marketers.
It would be recalled that oil marketers on Sunday gave the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to settle outstanding debts totalling N800 billion, failing which depots would cease operations across the country.
The marketers, comprising Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and Independent Petroleum Products Importers (IPPIs), said failure to meet the deadline would force its members to disengage workers from depots.
