Oil Thieves: No Indicted firm got fuel Importation Contract – FG

Federal government yesterday refuted reports that some oil firms who were indicted by the House of Representatives over their involvement in fuel subsidy scam had been awarded new contracts to import fuel into the country by the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

Minister of petroleum resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, debunked the claim while addressing State House correspondents at the presidential Villa yesterday, arguing that it wasn’t possible for the companies indicted to get government’s patronage again.

‘That is not possible. I believe you are referring to the listing of companies by the PPPRA for importation of fuel. All companies were vetted carefully and only companies that were clearly cleared were put on the list’, she stated.

Similarly, the PPPRA has said that companies indicted in the monumental fraud remained shut out of the system while concerted efforts were on to pay genuine claimants, adding that the ministry of finance was still clearing the rot that characterised the shady import of fuel under the subsidy regime.

Executive Secretary of the agency Reginald Stanley, while reacting to report by Reuters with regard to the third quarter allocations for fuel import, said Reuters got the entire information wrong and was calculated to mislead the people.

Leadership/26/07/2013