The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday criticised the Minister of Petroleum Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke over allegation that she spent over N10 billion in two years maintaining a private jet, while it also rebuked state governors who maintain private jets.
The NLC, in a statement signed by its President Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, said it was alarmed at the reported level of waste by public office holders in Nigeria, particularly high profile public officers such as state governors, ministers and even their aides in the use of hired private jets.
The NLC commended the probe into the matter by the House of Representatives, describing it as timely, “coming at a time that other public office holders, including state governors had also been alleged to have squandered as much as N130 million monthly to hire and maintain private jets.”
“It is nauseating that the minister of petroleum resources, whose ministry supervises the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has become the most prominent in financial scandals involving public institutions in Nigeria, will chose to be flying in hired private jets while the petroleum industry is sliding in stinking rots,” the congress president said.
“Refineries and other infrastructure under her supervision have totally collapsed; management of resources meant to uplift the industry has become subjects and sources of several scandals in recent times.
“This same minister was recently quoted as advocating further excruciating hardships for Nigerians through complete removal of petroleum subsidy, including kerosene which the poor and the working class depend on. Indeed, what is further required is a holistic, transparent and result-driven probe of the entire financial recklessness of public resources on adventures that contribute nothing to the development of our country.”
Omar added that “in a country in urgent need of development infrastructure that are capable of lifting up our local industries, create real employment, deliver quality social services; it is not only sad that our public officers are shamelessly enmeshed in financial recklessness, it is equally condemnable that so much public funds are being expended on acquisition and hiring of private jets even to destinations conveniently plied by commercial airlines.”
He said: “it is abhorring that state governors who have always complained of inability to pay the minimum wage to public servants in their states under the pretense of paucity of funds could embark on such wastage at the expense of the sweat and sacrifice of workers and to the detriment of the development of their states.”
The NLC commended the probe into the matter by the House of Representatives, describing it as timely, “coming at a time that other public office holders, including state governors had also been alleged to have squandered as much as N130 million monthly to hire and maintain private jets.”
“It is nauseating that the minister of petroleum resources, whose ministry supervises the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which has become the most prominent in financial scandals involving public institutions in Nigeria, will chose to be flying in hired private jets while the petroleum industry is sliding in stinking rots,” the congress president said.
“Refineries and other infrastructure under her supervision have totally collapsed; management of resources meant to uplift the industry has become subjects and sources of several scandals in recent times.
“This same minister was recently quoted as advocating further excruciating hardships for Nigerians through complete removal of petroleum subsidy, including kerosene which the poor and the working class depend on. Indeed, what is further required is a holistic, transparent and result-driven probe of the entire financial recklessness of public resources on adventures that contribute nothing to the development of our country.”
Omar added that “in a country in urgent need of development infrastructure that are capable of lifting up our local industries, create real employment, deliver quality social services; it is not only sad that our public officers are shamelessly enmeshed in financial recklessness, it is equally condemnable that so much public funds are being expended on acquisition and hiring of private jets even to destinations conveniently plied by commercial airlines.”
He said: “it is abhorring that state governors who have always complained of inability to pay the minimum wage to public servants in their states under the pretense of paucity of funds could embark on such wastage at the expense of the sweat and sacrifice of workers and to the detriment of the development of their states.”
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