By Luka Binniyat
KADUNA—Lecturers at Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, have given the Federal Government a four-week ultimatum within which to commence trial of those involved in the N2.5 trillion fuel subsidy scam or face trouble from them.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, yesterday, the lecturers contradicted the figures released by both the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Accountant-General of the Federation on the amount spent, saying that the figure allegedly involved from 2009 to 2011 stood at N2.5 trillion.

In statement by 16 lecturers and read by Dr. Usman Ladan of the Department of History, under the aegis of Concerned Lecturers of ABU, they said: “We, the undersigned lecturers of ABU, being free-born citizens of Nigeria and parents/guardians of present and future generations of Nigerians, hereby express our shock, profound indignation and total condemnation of all individuals, corporate firms and government agencies or departments that connived to defraud the government and people of Nigeria of hundreds of billions of Naira between 2009 and 2011 in the name of fuel subsidy claims.

“This despicable and ungodly act has visited incalculable damage on the Nigerian economy, threatening the survival of millions of our countrymen and pushing our nation to the edge of near moral and financial bankruptcy.

“The fact of the matter is simple and straight forward. The House Committee report in question has established a clear and unambiguous prima facie case of corruption and fraud against those indicted. No amount of propaganda or blackmail can reverse or deny this.

“The fuel subsidy swindle is one of the most shocking incidences of public rip-off in Nigeria since independence, exceeding the celebrated cement racket of 1975 in its monstrosity. Anyone who is in doubt should pause and consider a few of the facts below.

“The House Committee established that the amount paid out as subsidy increased from N261.1 billion in 2006 to N278.8 billion in 2007; N346.7 billion in 2008 to a whopping N847.9 billion in 2011. The total for the period 2006 to 2011 is colossal, almost doubling the contradictory figures of N1.6 trillion provided by CBN and the N1.7 trillion by the office of the Accountant-General.”

“This astronomical amount of N2.5 trillion is 900 percent more than what was legally appropriated as subsidy by the National Assembly, which amounts to a violation of the 1999 Constitution.”