The presidency yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari inherited N600 billion debt owed fuel marketers by the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, wherein he announced new measures put in place by the presidency to roll back poverty.

Among these measures are the directive by Buhari for the release of 10,000 tonnes of grains from the national strategic grains reserves for national distribution to counter food price increases and the intolerably high exploitation of common people by the trader-class.

Buhari has also directed the Minister of Agriculture to ensure that all the able-bodied men and women in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps be assisted to return to farming immediately.

This is coming as a reaction to calls for government measures to ease hardship associated with food inflation.

Shehu said: “At the time the Buhari government came to power, about N600 billion was owed to fuel marketers in subsidy payments. Strategic fuel reserves were depleted and local refineries were not functioning.

“One of the president’s first steps was to pay off the marketers, leaving an outstanding of about N150 billion which was captured in the 2016 budget.

“The Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries are being brought back to life. In a matter of time, Nigeria will resume refining its own fuel rather than depending on imports.

“As part of the permanent solution of recurring cycle of petroleum products shortages, government is working on a plan to ensure that some of the newly-licenced independent refineries start coming on stream from 2018.”

Shehu said the government would also turn its attention to the sabotage of the oil and gas infrastructure that had taken so much away from the generation and distribution of electricity.

The presidency also reiterated its earlier position that the devastation of the economy was caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, corruption and the lack of planning by the past administrations and one that should not be blamed on the ‘Change Agenda’ of the Buhari administration. The statement read: “The presidency firmly rejects the insinuations that poverty and lack are products of the change mantra. This should be dismissed as an erroneous and misplaced opposition criticism.

“The president understands the pain and the cries of the citizens of this country and he is spending sleepless nights over how he can make life better for everyone.

Shehu said contrary to assertions by a faction of the opposition Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), the president’s energy and focus were on changing the life of Nigerians, with a view to making it better than he met it.

“Change is a process. Change does not happen overnight. Change can be inconvenient. Change sometimes comes with pain. Over the past year, the government has been working night and day to deliver on its promise of change to Nigerians, and the painful process is still ongoing,” the statement added.

According to him, As life gradually returns to normal in the country and the North-east in particular, agriculture will resume and traders from neighbouring African countries will once again feel safe to do business with Nigeria yet another boost for our economy.

He stated that it was only when the people appreciated where the country was coming from that they would grasp the full meaning and essence of what the ongoing journey entailed

Shehu estimated that three North-east states of Nigeria alone had so far lost about N3 trillion ($9 billion) to the Boko Haram insurgency.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/04/25/buhari-inherited-n600bn-oil-marketers-debt-says-fg/

them Don start....we know buhari trying,except some set of people, but we also know the country is messed up,but I think the major problem of Nigeria is greed,a simple question shld be asked why is it so difficult to keep at least two of our refineries running, the next thing we go hear Na,Warri refinery shut down.....pipeline vandalised or bombed or something


as for the marketers una case dey with God


junior Portland

[size=18pt]... and N2.5 Trillions in TSA before we forget!![/size]

d amount of lies by dis visionless govt is very shameful
subsidy dues before GEJ left aso rock was N200 billion.

May 10, 2015
Punch reports that Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the government owes marketers N131 billion, however; the marketers insist that they are still being owed N200bn after last week’s payment of N154 billion.

http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-marketers-disagree-on-outstanding-subsidy-debt/
buari dullard who claim he doen't know fuel subsidy is a pathological liar. d same buari who claim subsidy does not exist has been paying fuel subsidy in 1983-1985 wen he was military head of state. d dullard is playing politics with d life of nigerians.

So Jonathan NO inherit debt from yar adua or abi yar adua NO inherit from Obj abi?...... U guys shld do ur job n shut up..... Were u guys voted to give excuses?

drss:
d amount of lies by dis visionless govt is very shameful
subsidy dues before GEJ left aso rock was N200 billion.


http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-marketers-disagree-on-outstanding-subsidy-debt/
buari dullard who claim he doen't know fuel subsidy is a pathological liar. d same buari who claim subsidy does not exist has been paying fuel subsidy in 1983-1985 wen he was military head of state. d dullard is playing politics with d life of nigerians.

Thanks for bursting the vision less APC government lies.

Trut:


Thanks for bursting the vision less APC government lies.

no mind d pathological liars. it was dis outstanding N200 billion subsidy claims saga dat made fuel marketers go in strike towards d end of GEJ administration for fear of not receiving their pay, no tanks to d dullard shouting he doen't know fuel subsidy. yet he payed fuel subsidy in1985. wat a lying govt.
d devil should resign from his throne because APC buari govt has taken ova.

The reserve grains that the FG has been silently depleting which was strategically built by the previous PDP govt, they won't give kudos to the last regime. But if it's to castigate them go get mouth.

Hmmmm.. But, this wasnt the figure they mentioned before naaaw.. Shey na lai report this thing?

drss:
d amount of lies by dis visionless govt is very shameful
subsidy dues before GEJ left aso rock was N200 billion.


http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-marketers-disagree-on-outstanding-subsidy-debt/
buari dullard who claim he doen't know fuel subsidy is a pathological liar. d same buari who claim subsidy does not exist has been paying fuel subsidy in 1983-1985 wen he was military head of state. d dullard is playing politics with d life of nigerians.

I love this. Burst their lies.

Smelly lying liars.

My senior brothers always tell me about a program call tales by moonlight,about interesting stories that will teach u moral lessons about life.
But in my own generation,we don jam tales by sunlight,where people fathers are just showing professions of lies,haba wtf can't the just do onething without lieing and denying it later just for once haba mana.

Hmmm, I don't be e you sha... I just don't know why

For heaven sake, is this how we will cope with Buhari till d next election?[/b]

For heaven sake, is this how we will cope with Buhari till d next election?

foolish people, after one midget brain boy called eran-juwa on twitter will start spilling nonsense

Chunks of the debt were accumulated by Laid Mohammed

Why are they telling us this now....? the next thing they will say that is the cause of fuel queues...

This government have no shame, I remember GEJ owe 200 billion, it cause fuel scarcity then before they were paid.... that was May 2015..... How is it now 600 billion?.... Gullible zombies will believe this.

APC : government built and running on lies

It's not rocket science to know that Buhari is dealing with the problems inherited from the last administration.

And I'm afraid the first one or two years may just be about fixing them and setting structures for this administration to lead properly.

Another Drama loading

600B Naira that was due to be paid when GEJ was in power and was never paid or 600B Naira that was due to be paid at a time that happens to be when PMB has been already be sworn in as president?

Anyone with useful info on the above should please help.

Stale!

But the money he has spent travelling since he became president is more than that. what of the recovered abacha loot? use it to pay them. you leaders keep bringing us backward.

Adesiji77:

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/04/25/buhari-inherited-n600bn-oil-marketers-debt-says-fg/

ONE CHANCE GOVT

We knew already or should you keep repeating same statement?

DExplorer1:
It's not rocket science to know that Buhari is dealing with the problems inherited from the last administration.

And I'm afraid the first one or two years may just be about fixing them and setting structures for this administration to lead properly.

THANK YOU...MINISTER OF MISINFORMATION...YOU ARE SIGHTED

even if buhari inherited zillions of pounds debt from subsidy, its allowed afterall GEJ inherited as well and obasanjo do too they should stop blaming the past administration for their lack of vision.

Waaao!