Sanusi’s Suspension Is An Impeachable Offense

by Bolaji Aregbeshola

The national

assembly should immediately begin impeachment proceedings against the current

president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Dr. Jonathan is culpable in

the oil theft and non-remittance of revenue from crude oil by NNPC under his

administration. Reading through the reasons adduced for the suspension of the

CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, you would be tempted to think that

the federal government is indeed acting in good faith and in the interest of

Nigerians. But if you take a critical look at the event leading to the

suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, you would see that Dr. Jonathan and

the leadership of the NNPC are culpable.

Most Nigerians

will continue to wallow in abject poverty if all corrupt leaders of government

are not made to return their loot and brought to justice. Nigerian leaders of

government believe that they can always get away with crime and criminality

against the Nigerian people but it is up to us the citizens to prove them wrong

and show them that power reside with the followers because we have suffered too

long on account of the financial recklessness of our leaders.

NNPC was

established in 1977 after the discovery of crude oil and have been the manager

of Nigeria’s crude oil that has become a curse to the country rather than a

blessing. Crude oil that has changed the fortunes of many countries and led to

their economic expansion as well as growth has become a curse to Nigeria.

Increase in oil prices over the years have not led to infrastructural

development. Nigerian leaders continue to steal the money from our oil wealth

thereby depriving the country and its citizens a better life.

NNPC has

continued to hide the truth from Nigerians and as it has always been the case,

the presidency has once again tried to cover up the allegation of the

non-remittance of about 76 per cent of crude oil revenue amounting to about $20

billion between January 2012 and July 2013. This has happened several times

since independence.

In one of my

articles titled “FG, Tell Us the Truth about NNPC” published by This Day

Newspaper on 18 October, 2010, I surmised that it would be better if the

federal government under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan would be sincere in its

presumed audit of the finances of the NNPC from 1999 to 2010.

The suspension

of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is similar to what happened in 2010 when the

then Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola was redeployed to another

ministry for making a statement that indicted the management of the NNPC. The

Jonathan administration did nothing to investigate these claims up until 2013

when another fresh allegation came from a man who should be in the know.

Those who are in

the know of activities in the NNPC have at one time or the other made different

assertions and allegations. The federal government have always been quick to

cover up these allegations rather than bring all the culprits to book because

it is true that there exist a cult in NNPC and this cult have been responsible

for the problems in the oil sector.

Almost four

years after demanding the truth on NNPC in my article, the federal government

has yet to expose those that have been responsible for turning our oil wealth

into a curse and Nigerians on the other hand have been laid back and

lackadaisical.

It is expected

that the federal government should be a good and prudent manager of our

nation’s oil and gas resources. But leaders of government are also working in

connivance with individuals that are responsible for our economic misfortunes

and the impoverishment of Nigerians.

Anyone who tries

to expose the ills in NNPC and the oil sector is gone after. We have had

governments that rely solely on oil and gas revenues but have they ever

wondered what will happen if and when the oil dries up? The plan of most

Nigerian leaders is to get whatever they can from our oil revenues before it

dries up. They have refused to switch our agrarian economy to an industrial

economy especially in the manufacturing sector.

We have been through this road before many times as a nation but the

onus lies on the Nigerian public to rise up and demand for justice and

accountability from leaders of government.

The federal

government has failed us and has shown that the citizens do not matter or have

a say in the affairs of the nation. The presidency makes decisions not minding

the thinking and feelings of the generality of the Nigerian population. Several

times, atrocities committed by the NNPC are shielded from the public besides

the federal government do not give a hoot what people think. This has led to a

situation in which another whistle blower would be suspended and accused of

financial recklessness just to cover up for the high level of corruption that

has been going on in NNPC. In 2010, it was reported that NNPC failed to pay the

$5 billion it got from NLNG into the federation account. President Jonathan did

not do anything about it besides that was the last we heard about the matter.

The president has not told Nigerians why he would shield the truth about

activities in the NNPC from them.

Now monies not

remitted by NNPC into the federation account have grown from $5 billion into

$20 billion because nothing has been done by the federal government to put an

end to this crime. Nigerians are nonchalant and that is the reason we are

experiencing more fraud in a corporation that hold the key to our economy.

NNPC is supposed

to be transparent and free from financial complicities because of the role it

plays in the nation’s economy. It is unfortunate that this corporation has

always been enmeshed in one financial misconduct or the other. One can only

hope that the national assembly would rise to the occasion and do the needful.

The Minister of

Petroleum Resources is conniving with the NNPC and so also is the presidency.

Obviously, the presidency needs to dissociate itself from the corruption

happening in NNPC by auditing it and bringing to justice every individual that

has been responsible for siphoning funds that were meant for the smooth running

of the nation’s economy.

The national

assembly should come up with more stringent laws to fight corruption in the

NNPC by debating and passing a bill that will help address oil theft and the

non-remittance of oil revenue into the federation account. This can only be

achieved if members of the national assembly are not a party to the quick and

brazen defence of the NNPC by the presidency.

Members of the

national assembly in this dispensation would have their names written in gold

if they can help put an end to the longstanding corruption in NNPC. It is

difficult making a sense of the FG and NNPC deceit.

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