Senate President Ahmad Lawan has challenged the heads of security and paramilitary agencies on effective policing of Nigeria’s borders to curb smuggling of petroleum products.
Lawan gave the charge yesterday at a meeting with Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Comptroller-General Col. Hameed Ali (rtd); Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Commandant-General Ahmed Abubakar Audi; representative of the Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General San Gesto and representative of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) Comptroller-General Haliru Ishaka Abdulmumini.
According to Lawan’s Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, he quoted his boss as saying that such a measure has become necessary to reduce the humongous amount being spent on petrol subsidy.
The meeting was a follow up to the Monday meeting with Finance and Petroleum ministers to find a way forward on the administration and management of subsidy payment.
Lawan’s statement partly reads: “We are all aware that some of the products, particularly the PMS, are smuggled out and yet we paid a subsidy on what is smuggled out.
“So, this meeting is to look into the ways and means of controlling the smuggling of petroleum products to minimise the cost of fuel subsidy to our country.
“I know individually, these organisations have been carrying out their responsibilities on this but I think that we are coming into a special moment. Our situation is such that we cannot afford anymore to allow this smuggling business to continue because the cost is very huge and debilitating to our people.”
