… the public perception is that too many corporate executives have committed egregious breaches of trust by cooking the books, shading the truth, and enriching themselves with huge stock-option profits while shareholders suffered breathtaking losses. —John A. Byrne et al., Business Week, 6 May 2002

Dollarman101: Which kind people be dis? The way you guys construe a story makes me shiver. I'm tempted to believe that some of us think through the anus.
Before our very eyes, the govt is hitting the oil cabal hard with probes, trials and attempts to withdraw subsidy. The finance minister is working hard daily to make sure that monies are not stolen again through subsidy management. Before payments are made, there must have been serious verifications and due process causing delays in payment. Again, there is a need to implement the AIG committee report.

The cabal is not happy with these rigorous processes and the move to enorce AIG. They want to throw us back to the old order of over invoicing and embezzlement of subsidy claims. They started this strike with a view to causing pressure on govt to release their claims immediately without adherence to due process and the implementation of the probe report. The end result is the conspiracy that has led to the resurfacing of long queues.

What then will a responsive govt do? Shut its eyes to the long queues and continue on their sanctions on oil marketers? No.
Okonjo Iweala,, God bless her, has singled out some oil marketers with little infractions on the subsidy regime for negotiation. these marketers are those whoose sins are not much in the subsidy scandal. The negotiation wil take the form of plea bargaining. Refund us so and so while we pay you so and so inorder for the masses to have fuel.
The major looters, especially those who collected money without importing fuel, will still continue to face the full wrath of the law.

val_dee: When I grow up, I want to be a cabal.

youngies:

We won't succumb to blackmail

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala also said that the long queues that have resurfaced in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, were not enough reasons for the FG to negotiate with some marketers whom she described as blackmailers.

"But for some of those who are bent on blackmailing the Federal Government even though they have committed very serious infractions in the subsidy claim we are not willing to pay them when they have not cleared their case," she said.

an egregious mistake, failure, problem etc is extremely bad and noticeable

greaterlove: Hate me or not but I think its high time government implement full deregulation of pms, thereby they won't be paying subsidy to any marketer.

Sirmee: I can't help but weep for this once giant of africa...GEJ is a total failure.

onatisii:
why should it be on the front page?u guess should leave this mods alone nd lets stop dictating to them what topic should be on front page

D-Explorer:
Pls., don't say that! Support this government, it's been challenging. Note that he has got until 2019 before you conclude.

"Those whose infractions may be considered not so egregious, we will be talking to them and if they are willing to talk to us, we will also be willing to settle their claims and they can go on importing," Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said.

bakila:
2015

D-Explorer:
This' for the Nation's interest. The looming fuel scarcity will be a severe one if dialogue is not considered. These marketers has been officially ordered to make a refund of the excess in their care even if not all but the positive side of this hiccups is that certain companies will lose their position on the government's scale of preference for integrity sake. This has NOTHING to do with whether GEJ will be indicted or not which we all know that he has kept a clean sheet in regards. The option to negotiate is in the best interest of Nigerians. The faceoff between the legislature and the executive is dragging the progress of this country and that should be halted. Again, the decision to dialogue is of NATIONAL INTEREST and no doubt the drama that has played out in the last few months has made facts so glaring to Nigerians and that will make the executive act accordingly in regards to dealing with marketers and most assuredly those with integrity.

inspbado: I don't understand;can't the government license new marketers who are willing to play by the rules;revoke the licences of existing ones who're blackmailing the govt and if they go to court, govt can adduce evidence(at least we keep on hearing about an audit carried out and the indictments made by the "committee"set up to investigate the subsidy payments) to prove breach of contract on the part of the marketers. I believe the foregoing should be done rather than let a few selfish individuals hold a nation to ransom,because the danger is that, if this so called negotiation is done, then anybody or institution with a bit of leverage on the govt will just hold the nation to ransom everytime.

inspbado: I don't understand;can't the government license new marketers who are willing to play by the rules;revoke the licences of existing ones who're blackmailing the govt and if they go to court, govt can adduce evidence(at least we keep on hearing about an audit carried out and the indictments made by the "committee"set up to investigate the subsidy payments) to prove breach of contract on the part of the marketers. I believe the foregoing should be done rather than let a few selfish individuals hold a nation to ransom,because the danger is that, if this so called negotiation is done, then anybody or institution with a bit of leverage on the govt will just hold the nation to ransom everytime.

inspbado: I don't understand;can't the government license new marketers who are willing to play by the rules;revoke the licences of existing ones who're blackmailing the govt and if they go to court, govt can adduce evidence(at least we keep on hearing about an audit carried out and the indictments made by the "committee"set up to investigate the subsidy payments) to prove breach of contract on the part of the marketers. I believe the foregoing should be done rather than let a few selfish individuals hold a nation to ransom,because the danger is that, if this so called negotiation is done, then anybody or institution with a bit of leverage on the govt will just hold the nation to ransom everytime.

Pukkah: Some things here are as clear as daylight:

1. The marketers were indicted.
2. The marketers had 'little' infractions.
3. The Minister did not state what the infractions were.
4. The infractions are not favourable to Nigeria.
5. The marketers have not been punished for the infractions.
6. From available information, subsidy payments went up from N300b to about N1.3trillion in 2011 . No one in government has been able to incontrovertibly and clearly explain this obvious anomaly. It is safe to assume that it is in the custody of the indicted marketers. We are not sure if they were fronting for the government or for themselves. But with the shoddy way the subsidy investigations have been handled, your guess is as good as mine.

7. The marketers are not friends of Nigeria. Thus, they are enemies of Nigeria.
8. The statement below which was credited to the Minister is demeaning and insulting to Nigerians:



9. The government can get other marketers to import fuel.

So what is there to defend in this? O ye members of the 'I-must-defend-government-at-all-costs group. Does being a government minion turn you into a m.oron?

On this one, the government lapdogs and unthinking sycophants should simply shut up or abandon this thread and not insult our intelligence.

inspbado: I don't understand;can't the government license new marketers who are willing to play by the rules;revoke the licences of existing ones who're blackmailing the govt and if they go to court, govt can adduce evidence(at least we keep on hearing about an audit carried out and the indictments made by the "committee"set up to investigate the subsidy payments) to prove breach of contract on the part of the marketers. I believe the foregoing should be done rather than let a few selfish individuals hold a nation to ransom,because the danger is that, if this so called negotiation is done, then anybody or institution with a bit of leverage on the govt will just hold the nation to ransom everytime.