Govt behind oil theft –Obi

By Merit Ibe

Labour Party (LP) presidential standard bearer, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday blamed the government for the rising incidence of oil theft in the country.

Obi said this on Monday at the 2023 Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Private Sector Economic Forum on the 2023 Presidential Election in Lagos.

Obi, who was guest speaker at the Private Sector Economic Forum of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), asserted that no one can steal oil except the government.

“Subsidy is organised crime,” he said, while addressing the audience at the event in Lagos. “We need an aggressive production of local refining.” We will make resources available to ensure a private-sector led oil refining,” the former Anambra State governor advised the Federal Government.

The presidential candidate who made the remarks while answering questions from panellists at the event also reacted to a question on the issue of cost of governance.

“I have allergies to waste,” declared Obi who obviously took a swipe at the government again.

“I am not saying that I am going to be a superman, but I am going to bring the political will to follow the rule of law, to deal with issues of oil theft and address leakages in government revenue to address the funding of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other sectors of the economy and society .

“I am offering the ability to do the right thing and ensure that it is done going forward from 2023.

“Nigeria’s problems though daunting and difficult are solvable and my appeal is that 2023, election would not be based on ethnicity but on competence and accountability,” he said.

The Labour Party standard  bearer insisted that there was a need for an overhaul of the security architecture in the country and proposed a multi-level policing from the federal to the community security system.

He promised to create a new economic order for Nigeria, if elected president in the February, 2023 general election on the predicated on the immidiate overhaul of the country’s security architecture to revive trust between government and the people.

According to him, any government that takes over in 2023 will be confronted by daunting challenges; locally and externally given the degeneration of infrastructure  over the years due to leadership failure.

These challenges, Obi said, had impacted negatively on the country’s unity, social cohesion, trust in government, wealth, education, employment, health, commerce among other indices.

The LP presidential flagbearer stressed that the country was not bereft of good ideas and plans, but that institutional weakness and lack of political will to implement them had limited the country’s economic potential.

“As a trader, I am one of you and sincerely recognise your challenges and pain and would provide my own solutions to the questions that have been raised, particularly, security which is impacting on all other economic problems.  “We have identified and prioritised seven critical areas in line with some Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to ensure purposeful leadership as we secure and unite Nigeria with effective legal and institutional reforms,” he said.

Obi stressed that to address the country’s revenue and other economic crises, his administration would invest in manufacturing to move the country from consumption to production and exportation.

He said his government would also create an asset register and ensure that the country’s assets became more productive under genuine private sector watch.

He stated that apart from tackling insecurity, the issue of power generation must be addressed head-on by liberalising transmission and supporting the existing power generating companies.

These, he said, would ensure that the power sector is properly aligned with clear policies and the regulatory environment.

He stated that upon becoming president, his government would streamline governance to ensure that it was responsive, transparent and effective; ensure institutional reforms and engender inclusive, participation of all groups. Obi said the country must hold his government accountable in terms of visible, measurable changes on security, manufacturing for exports, and the use and adherence to the rule of law to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy.

“Good governance must be aimed at providing good service and receiving constructive criticism and moving forward with the goal of bringing back the trust of people to governance.

“Under my watch, all groups such as the youth, women, disabled, vulnerable, private sector, must be represented in my government’s decision making process seeing that I am committed to providing a demand driven leadership.

“To address power, first thing is to provide funding access, tax incentives and address issue of embedded power and renewable energy.

LCCI President, Dr Michael Olawale-Cole, said the overshadowing effect of politics over economics made the chamber set up the event as its contribution to a new economic order that could take the Nigerian economy from the doldrum.

He noted that patriotic Nigerians would like to know the plans and intentions of a future president, and this would most likely enhance the choices people make at the polls.

“Nigerians have another opportunity to decide who leads them in the next four years from 2023-2027.

“The Nigerian economy has been inundated with a myriad of problems among which are oil theft, an unsustainable subsidy regime, insecurity, and a foreign exchange crisis.

“However, in spite of all these challenges, the prospects and future remain bright for the Nigerian economy with the country as the largest economy on the continent with an output in the region of almost half a trillion dollars in nominal times,” he said.

Meanwhile, the LCCI President had tasked the Federal Government to pay special attention to the education sector, by providing long lasting solutions to the issue of industrial disputes in the country.