NGE urges National Assembly to pursue probe of oil sector to a logical conclusion

The Nigerian Guild of Editors has urged the National Assembly to pursue to a logical conclusion the probe of the oil sector, which it began recently.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are probing the running of the oil sector in the last few years, with emphasis on the dispensing of the subsidy fund. A lot of shocking revelations have been made.

The NGE does not want it to end midway, urging the National Assembly to see it through.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the 2012 first quarter Standing Committee meeting of the Guild in Sokoto, Sokoto State between January 27 to 29, 2012, the NGE said: “Still on the state of the nation, the Guild declares its support for the ongoing probe in the oil sector, and urges the National Assembly to ensure that the exercise is pursued to a logical conclusion.”

The meeting, which provided the Guild the opportunity to review burning national issues in the country, also urged the government to increase intelligence gathering among the security agencies in order to check the rising cases of attacks in the country.

A communiqué signed by the President and General Secretary of the Guild, Gbenga Adefaye and Isaac Ighure, reads in part: “The Guild expresses concern about the security situation across the country, condemns the needless destruction of lives and sympathises with families of victims of various acts of violence and terrorism during which many professionals, including journalists have lost their lives.

“It enjoins the government to improve on its intelligence gathering to pre-empt continued killings of innocent Nigerians, while urging Nigerians to provide security agencies with information to unmask the masterminds of terrorism and violence.

“The Guild also urges the government to address fundamental issues of corruption, injustice, unemployment, good governance and in similar vein take steps to understand the motives of the perpetrators of violent attacks and acts of terror.

“It also expresses concern about the seeming tardiness in the nation’s judiciary as exemplified by the Supreme Court’s judgment on tenure elongation of five governors delivered on Friday, Jan. 27and calls for speedy dispensation of cases before the courts.  Justice delayed is justice denied.

“The Guild also decries persistent strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the attendant implication on the development of the education sector and calls on the Federal Government and ASUU to ensure immediate resolution of the crises.

“It calls for restraint on the part of journalists in the reportage of sensitive national issues so as not to endanger the corporate existence, unity and peace of the nation.”