The Senate Committee on Appropriation on Monday directed the Federal Ministries of Petroleum Resources, Budget and National Planning and Finance, to reconcile their records and include an additional N108bn in the N465.3bn supplementary budget submitted to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, penultimate week.
The additional amount according to the committee was the subsidy claims due for payment to the major oil marketers between October to December 2015 which was not currently included in the N413bn subsidy claims due from January to September 2015.
The committee also asked the ministry of petroleum resources to furnish it with details of the N437bn which had so far been paid to NNPC as its subsidy claims but which was not appropriated by the National Assembly.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Danjuma Goje, noted at a meeting with the ministers and heads of federal government agencies that intelligent reports at the disposal of the panel indicated that the petroleum ministry was seeking approval for N413bn out of the total N950bn accrued subsidy.
Goje alleged that while the ministry had paid the subsidy due to NNPC, as first line charge being its own share of the 48 per cent of the fuel it imported, the subsidy due to the oil marketers, were withheld.
He said the inclusion of the N108bn, would enable the senate to approve the money so that the minds of Nigerians would be at rest that the oil marketers would not hold the nation to ransom again during the forthcoming festive season as a result of the outstanding amount.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Jamila Soara, told the committee that she was representing the Minister, Ibe Kachikwu, who was in Lagos, to hold meetings with the major oil marketers.
She said her ministry’s proposal was for N413bn, being a component of N120.552bn as outstanding for 2014 and N292.8bn for subsidy from January to September 2015.
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