…urges FG to treat reviving of nation’s refineries as national emergency

By Davies Iheamnachor

Future Nigeria Movement, FNM, has called on the Federal Government and Civil Society Organisations to activate a process to monitor state governors on the usage of the N5 billion subsidy palliative released to them by the Presidency.

FNM also urged the Federal Government to treat reviving of the nation’s refineries as national emergency, adding that petroleum issues are affecting all sectors of the economy.

The leader of FNM, Livingstone Wechie, in Port Harcourt yesterday stated that the fund released by the FG was a clear indication that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the issues of removal of subsidy is affecting Nigerians adversely, noting that everything in this nation revolved around the energy sector.

Wechie noted that the best subsidy people of the nation would prefer is to see their refineries work optimally, advising that the CSO should be included in monitoring of the palliative to ensure it meets its purpose.

He said: “The N5 Billion palliative by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is a clear indication that the government realises that the removal of the fuel subsidy is impacting seriously on Nigerians.

“It is, however, the submission of the Future Nigeria Movement FNM that the best subsidy that Nigerians long to see is to ensure that our state-owned refineries are made to work again and this must be treated as a matter of national emergency.

“This is not asking too much because leaving the energy sector in the hands of the almighty market forces is to run on auto pilot and the backlash will remain baleful.

“However, the federal government must give close monitoring to the disbursement processes by the Governors. The Civil Society should be included in the management of these funds to ensure probity and accountability.”

Wechie urged FG to be more innovative in its approach towards solving the nation’s many problems, stating that if the present administration must succeed, it should not be compensational in its appointments so that only those with competence, capacity, patriotic zeal and skill are brought on board to take the right decisions to save the country.

He said: “It is the view of FNM that the federal government should become more innovative in its approach to solving our teething national problems with all the competence and skills needed. Nigerians today will not condone explanations and alibis because the citizens have had enough of that in the past administrations.

“This Current Administration must seat up and confront the monster of underdevelopment that besets our growth as a people. It is therefore submitted that part of why the energy crisis is biting so hard is because we are still a gluttonous consumer nation whose antidote is to evolve into a purely manufacturing nation.”