The Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has called for the immediate privatisation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited insisting that it has added nothing to the federation’s account this year. Speaking on Channels TV’s programme, “Politics Today” on Thursday, El-Rufai said NNPC Limited has created more problems for Nigeria and has failed in the oil and gas sector of the country.
He stressed that the company has not been able to remit any amount to the federation’s account except excuses that their revenues are being quelled by subsidy. “This year, NNPC has not brought N20,000 to the federation account. We are living on taxes. It is PPTs, royalties, income tax and VAT that is keeping this country going because NNPC claims that subsidy has taken all the oil revenues. I don’t believe it.”
The governor further stated, “Nothing has changed, it’s just a change in name with limited at the end. They are still taking our money, declaring profit that we have not seen the dividends.” He also explained that the government’s involvement has done no good, and should allow private investors to take charge, adding, “the electricity industry should as well be completely privatised.
According to him, everything the Federal Government manages has failed citing the telecommunication industry as one sector that developed when the government privatised it. “I am giving this example so that when I say government should get out of oil and gas, people should not think it is crazy; it is not. “There is no reason why the Federal Government should still be in the oil and gas sector through the NNPC. It should just get out, it has failed. By every measure it has failed.” “So, the government should sell everything in oil and gas sector….The government should get out of everything that is left of electricity, leave it to the private sector, create the environment, the money will come. We did it in the telecoms sector,” El-Rufai maintained. Cc punchng
