Northern IPMAN Faults Sanusi, El-Rufai On Fuel Subsidy Removal  

Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has faulted the position of the former Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II and Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i on the economy and their calls for the removal of fuel subsidy.

They advised the two leaders to refrain from making “unguarded statements” on the sensitive sector.

IPMAN said with the current economic situation in the country, the removal of fuel subsidy would cause more hardships for Nigerians especially the common man.

The chairman of Northern Chapter of IPMAN, Alhaji Bashir Danmalam, made the remark while speaking with reporters in Kano yesterday.

Danmalam said the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor (Sanusi) and el-Rufa’i had for long been talking about the removal of subsidy at every fora they found themselves.

“What happened after the subsidy of gas (diesel) was withdrawn. The price of anything you can think of has gone up as a litre of diesel is now being sold at N850,” the IPMAN chairman said.

Danmalam was reacting to Sanusi’s comments at the 7th edition of the Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit where he was full of pity for the incoming President on account of the scale of the economic challenges awaiting him, particularly the knotty issue of petroleum subsidy and debt servicing.

“The reform of the oil sector has already started by the passing of the PIA by Mr President, with a 24 Months transition period.

“The management of NNPC must be commended for their consistency in seeing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was passed and implemented to the latter

Danmalam further said, “Today halfway through the transition period, NNPC has completed its transition and is now a full-fledged limited liability company with strategic commanding shares in the nearly completed Dangote refinery.

“It means that as Nigeria exits fuel subsidy the management of NNPC has invested wisely in local refining capacity to boost domestic consumption, eliminate importation, ease the pressure on our forex, straighten the Naira, provide jobs and boost our GDP. Mele Kyari and his team deserve commendation for their doggedness, patriotism and nationalism.

“The issue of removing fuel subsidy has to be gradual in order to make it effective and result-oriented for national economic growth and development,” he said.

He noted that the governors and their states have always been fed mainly by the hard work and earnings of NNPC over the years, adding now that NNPC has moved on, let’s see how the states fare.

On the volume of petrol being consumed in Nigeria on a daily basis, Danmalam advised the former Emir and Governor el-Rufa’i to visit all the depots where the product is being kept before distribution to ascertain whether it is being imported or not.

He said there was a time the association wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari calling on his government to constitute a committee including National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and all the relevant stakeholders to investigate the volume of fuel being imported and consumed on a daily basis.

According to Danmalam, if the former emir and Governor El-Rufa’i were smart they would have helped Kaduna State to be independent of FAAC allocation like what Tinubu and his successors did by making Lagos to survive even without FAAC allocation, but they did not

“The concern of the duo is to see that the Federal Government removes subsidies so as to make life more difficult for the less privileged citizens of the country.

“It’s high time for the former Emir to stop bringing his capitalists’ ideologies into the country in order to maintain his dignity,” he said.

He, therefore, advised the duo to concentrate on what would be of benefit to the citizens rather than continue to talk on issues that are anti-masses or the common man.