A non-governmental organisation, the Media Advocacy West Africa Foundation (MAWA-Foundation), has expressed worry and faulted the claim by the President Muhammadu Buhari government’s claim of removing subsidy and deregulated the oil sector.
In a statement by the Coordinator, Media Advocacy West Africa Foundation (MAWA-Foundation), Audu Liberty Oseni, the group described the alleged oil subsidy removal as deceitful.
According to the group, the Muhammadu Buhari-led government did not deregulate the oil sector because the NNPC still controls all activities in the sector.
“Deregulation supposes to usher in the elimination of government control over the oil sector and allows for more competition within the industry. But, what we have is a situation where the same government that lays claim to deregulation, controls all activities in the oil sector using its corporation, the NNPC,” Oseni said.
He argued that Buhari government cannot claim to have deregulated the oil sector and still the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) continues to control all activities in the sector from crude export, refined product importation, product hoarding, distribution, and also a major player in determining the price in the market.
“NNPC, a government company, is the importer and retailer of petrol product and that does not in any way supports any known logic and argument of deregulation Buhari government lays claim to.”
“MAWA Foundation condemns this act of government deceit and urges the Buhari government to put a stop to Nigerians who are suffering as a result of their deceit using deregulation as a cover.
“We wish to remind the Buhari-led government that if they have deregulated the oil sector, the market forces will regulate the price and not Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), a government agency.”
The organisation posits that Buhari government ought to know that despite the fact that the citizens are peaceful, maintaining calm and have refrained from violent protests, it does not signal their acceptance of “this draconian policy of deregulation that is characterized by pure deceit.”
It stressed that Nigerian government under the leadership of Buhari must own up to its responsibility and tell Nigerians the truth, insisting, “There is no Deregulation” in the oil sector, what we have is the government doing oil business.”