PDP raises alarm over plot to divert N1.7tn through NNPC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised alarm over alleged plans by fraudulent officials in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government to divert over N1.7 trillion, ($3.9 billion) to their personal purses, under the guise of acquiring 20% shares in the $19. 5 billion refinery being built by Dangote Group.

The PDP in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, decried: “our party is worried over the opaque and nebulous deal being pushed by fraudulent officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which not only allows corrupt persons in the government to divert the funds, but also entangles and smears the unsuspecting firm with corruption.”

The statement maintained that while the PDP has nothing against any genuine and honest incentives for private refineries or any moves to divest the economic interest in the private sector, the party insisted that such must not be used as a ruse to siphon funds from the national treasury.

The PDP argued: “is it not an absurdity for a government, which cannot fix our refineries, to be planning to spend such huge amount of money in a venture that it would be a minority stakeholder, if not in the pursuit of sleazy deals by corrupt officials?

“This is more so as the payment arrangement involving crude barter has remained hazy, underhanded and lacking in the required transparency in evaluation, cost, and exchange terms.”

The PDP, therefore, demanded that the Federal Government immediately halt the nebulous process. “The transaction must be made completely open, in terms of conditions for crude barter, signatories, duration, equity sharing and signatories, among other conditions,” the party advocated.

The PDP also urged the Dangote Group and other concerned investing firms to be wary of going into any kind of deals with corrupt officials of the APC government.

The opposition party further challenged the National Assembly to protect the nation by summoning the management of the NNPC and immediately commenced a holistic investigation into this deal.

The PDP insisted that any process involving the divesting of the nation’s economic interest by the government must be made open, transparent, and not allowed to become a conduit pipe for treasury-looting officials in the APC government.