People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 2019 presidential aspirant and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has pledged to tackle what he described as “secrecy, lack of transparency and impunity” in the manner Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) handles the country’s oil earnings.
He said the NNPC has constituted itself into a government of its own and operates as if it was not accountable to anyone.
“The states are continually shortchanged by the Federal Government and NNPC. But all that will change when I’m elected president because I will take on the issues of secrecy in NNPC accounting system and ensure that there is transparency, fiscal discipline so that Nigerians know the true state of things in the corporation’s operations in terms of the revenue accruable to the nation,” Tambuwal was quoted as saying in a statement issued at the weekend in Calabar, Cross River State.
The aspirant spoke while visiting Governor Ben Ayade as part of his nationwide consultations over his aspiration to win the PDP ticket in its presidential primary.
Promising his readiness to ensure that power is devolved more to the states, Tambuwal, in the statement by his media office, said: “The issue of reviewing revenue allocation formula is key to the development of the nation. The states need more funding in order to bring more meaningful development to the people across the nation. So, we will work hard to do this by making sure that the states get their fair share of allocation.”
He promised that should he be elected president, “by the Grace of God, I guarantee that we shall assemble team of competent Nigerians from all parts of the Federation to serve our fatherland and also go out there and restore our dignity in the comity of nations”.
Ayade hailed Tambuwal for his “humility and strength of character”, which, he said, work for him and endear him to people across ethnic, religious, political and social divides.
The governor said should Tambuwal address the accounting NNPC problems, “he must have solved 60 per cent of Nigeria’s problems”.
