₦airaland Forum

Umar Sani, a former aide to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, has described the recent comments of billionaire businessman Femi Otedola
as “hypocritical, selective, and a convenient rewriting of history.”

Otedola recently revisited Nigeria’s controversial fuel subsidy regime, alleging that corruption remains entrenched in the system.

In his intervention last week, Otedola accused members of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), which he claimed to have founded, of sustaining a corrupt model built on subsidy fraud and obsolete infrastructure.

He further alleged that “over N2 trillion was siphoned through questionable subsidy claims under the Jonathan administration.”

Reacting in a statement posted on his X page, Sani said: “The subsidy regime predates Jonathan and lasted decades. It was entrenched under Obasanjo, continued under Yar’Adua, remained during Jonathan’s time, and persisted under Buhari with even greater opacity.

“To lay the blame solely on Jonathan is misleading, especially as Otedola himself enjoyed enormous privileges during the era.”

Sani noted that Otedola’s company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, once controlled up to 90 percent of diesel imports and benefitted heavily from the same subsidy framework he now condemns.

He recalled that Jonathan had set up the Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede forensic audit panel to unmask exploiters of the subsidy station, adding that attempts at deregulation were sabotaged by vested interests, politicians and profiteers.

“Otedola himself was spotlighted during the forensic panel’s work and the House of Reps ad-hoc committee on subsidy payments chaired by Farouk Lawan,” Sani said.

He referenced the Otedola-Lawan scandal, in which the businessman admitted giving marked money to the lawmaker, later claiming it was a sting operation.

“Rather than feigning moral superiority, Otedola should come clean. His comments, while critical of corruption, appear more like image-laundering than truth-telling. Nigerians deserve honesty, full disclosure and historical accuracy,” Sani added.

He urged Otedola to support a full independent inquiry into the subsidy regime across all administrations, including the periods he profited from, instead of offering “curated narratives.”

“Until then, his accusations amount to nothing more than a pot calling the kettle black,” he said.

slivertongue:
Otedola was part of the subsidy fraud pretending to be a honest man

SuperEagles:
Same way many of your kind import rubbish to ruin the Nigeria economy but you won't say a word to castigate yourselves.

Alike Dangote remains the cornerstone not Obi with his importation of Heinz rubbish etc.

SuperEagles:
Same way many of your kind import rubbish to ruin the Nigeria economy but you won't say a word to castigate yourselves.

Alike Dangote remains the cornerstone not Obi with his importation of Heinz rubbish etc.

Kastonkastroll:
I read somewhere that his trucks are delivering free logistics to any station registered with his refinery. And I saw people's praises and all that Nigerian herd mentality; no critical thinking no critical questions asked.

If you deliver logistics for me for free, are you also going to monitor the price I sell the fuel to customers? Many franchise stations divert fuel to other smaller filling stations!!! This is no secret if you are in the oil and gas industry.


Live and let live!

Kukutente23:
That's why Nigeria is such a dysfunctional society
No accountability whatsoever
A man eats from a pot and turns round to condemn the pot once he's washed his hands
If not lack of fear of retribution, who writes in a book that "I was once the sole importer of diesel under subsidy regime and I did roundtripping and then in the next page: subsidy is fraudulent!" if not someone who is sure that he will even be celebrated for declaring that he was once stealing from the nation?!!

OredoPikin:
Obi
How na
How did Obi enter the discussion?
U just wan derail the topic as usual

Kukutente23:
That's why Nigeria is such a dysfunctional society
No accountability whatsoever
A man eats from a pot and turns round to condemn the pot once he's washed his hands

If not lack of fear of retribution, who writes in a book that "I was once the sole importer of diesel under subsidy regime and I did roundtripping and then in the next page: subsidy is fraudulent!" if not someone who is sure that he will even be celebrated for declaring that he was once stealing from the nation?!!

anonimi:
March 21, 2011

Tinubu rules out alliance with CPC

Prospect of a possible alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, was dashed yesterday in Kano as the leader of the party and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu described CPC as parading “expired leadership.”

Tinubu told ACN supporters in Kano during the party’s Presidential rally that: “What Nigerians need now is a transformation in leadership” as obtained in the advanced economy.

The two-term Governor of Lagos State explained that the leadership of ACN was offering Nigeria the brilliance of Nuhu Ribadu who, he said, is in the class of Nicolas Sarkozi of France, David Cameron of Britain, Medvedev of Russia and Barack Obama of the United States of America.

“What has CPC got to offer? We certainly don’t need expired leadership as we are offering the best in terms of brilliance, courage and patriotism in the class of Sarkozi of France, David Cameron of Britain and Barack Obama of the USA.”

Tinubu’s position came on the heels of Ribadu’s declaration penultimate week in Kaduna when he hinted during a political rally of a joint ticket between the two opposition parties to confront the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The national leader of ACN criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for shying away from the national debate held last Friday, stressing that”that singular act exposed Jonathan as a coward who has nothing to offer.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/tinubu-rules-out-alliance-with-cpc/

slivertongue:
Otedola was part of the subsidy fraud pretending to be a honest man

grandstar:
I find the second to last paragraph quite funny.

Why cry over spilt milk? The subsidy is gone and that's what matters.

In addition, I doubt Otedola benefitted from the subsidy as his diesel was sold at market reflective prices. I suspect the subsidy on diesel had been removed by then.

RichBoy247:
Ote$ is a serial liar. He lives on the Lagos money that his father stole when the man was Lagos governor.

He also severally inflated the petroleum oil subsidy and setup the thieving House of Reps guys that were investigating him. However, because he knows that Nigerians forget he says any rubbish that comes to his brain

Buhari called subsidy fraud, but outspends predecessors

Abubakar Ibrahim
May 22, 2023

In a 2011 interview granted to a local television station, Muhammadu Buhari, who was seeking election as president, lampooned fuel subsidy payments, calling it a fraud. As he prepares to leave office on May 29 after an eight-year tenure, his administration has spent more on fuel subsidy than his three previous predecessors combined, BusinessDay’s analysis shows.

Subsidy payment data compiled from payments recorded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) indicate that the Buhari government may have spent over N11 trillion on petrol subsidies, an amount that could have built several schools, hospitals and is bigger than everything he earmarked for road infrastructure since he took office.

A breakdown of petrol subsidy payments shows that Buhari spent N11 trillion, Goodluck Jonathan spent N3.9 trillion, Umaru Yar’Adua spent N794 billion, and Olusegun Obasanjo spent N570 billion from 2005 to 2006, based on available data.

https://businessday.ng/analysis/article/buhari-called-subsidy-fraud-but-outspends-predecessors/?amp

grandstar:
I find the second to last paragraph quite funny.

Why cry over spilt milk? The subsidy is gone and that's what matters.

In addition, I doubt Otedola benefitted from the subsidy as his diesel was sold at market reflective prices. I suspect the subsidy on diesel had been removed by then.

He benefitted from it, that was the whole point of Farouk Lawan trying to blackmail him on it, instead of serving his conscience ,constituency and Nigerians by reporting it.

But let me cut Farouk some slack, maybe like the other great people I mentioned earlier, he wanted to build his mansion in Ikoyi first, before remembering you all .

You cannot blackmail someone to the tune of millions of dollars if the person did nothing wrong.

Unfortunately for Lawan, Otedola turned "state witness" (as oyibo would say), and all his sins were forgiven.

Nigerians really have short memories sha.

Feelsgood:
Do well to research on the subsidy scam...it was clearly stated by Sani that Otedola was part of it but as usual like your fellow ronus... you bury your head in the sand.

slivertongue:
Otedola was part of the subsidy fraud pretending to be a honest man