The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday raided the offices of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and that of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as part of the mandate given to it by President Goodluck Jonathan to uncover the truth behind the disbursement of subsidy funds.
Jonathan had, based on a request by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Dizeani Allison-Madueke, ordered the EFCC to carry out a probe of how the N1.3 trillion spent on subsidizing petrol for local consumption was spent.
Sources in the EFCC said that more of such raids for files that contain the facts and figures would be carried out.
Allison-Madueke, in a statement on Sunday, said the decision to probe the disbursement of the subsidy fund was a fallout of the protest that came as a result of the removal of subsidy on petrol and the need to maintain transparency and accountability, which she described as policies of the Jonathan administration.
She added: “With the presidential approval, I have written to invite the EFCC to immediately review all payments made in respect of subsidies on PMS and kerosene and to take all necessary steps to prosecute any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-invoicing and related illegalities in an open and transparent manner.”
In a letter to the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, dated January 12, 2012 and made available to newsmen, Allison-Madueke urged the anti-graft agency to “root out all forms of corruption and abuse within the subsidy regime.”
She added in the statement: “I have directed all officials of PPPRA and related agencies in the Ministry of Petroleum to make themselves available in the event of any interviews.
“I have set up a unit within my office to be headed by an independent auditor to review the KPMG and other audit reports on NNPC and other paratstals, and immediately begin implementation of their findings , ensuring at all times, full probity and value for money.”