Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
A group, First Phase ex-Niger Delta Agitators, has urged President Bola Tinubu to probe the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on the alleged upfront sale of crude oil and recover the proceeds.
In a statement signed yesterday by its National Secretary, Nature Dumale, the group insisted that Tinubu should investigate the allegation that crude oil was sold three years in advance shortly before he took over the mantle of leadership.
Dumale said the development was part of the reason for the foreign exchange crisis and the worsening inflation in the country.
He said if Tinubu failed to probe the allegation, the group would send a petition to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to come to the rescue of the people.
Dumale said: “We want Tinubu to investigate the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and the oil and gas sector. Why did the last administration sell petroleum products upfront and took the money away? Why did they leave Nigeria indebted? It is affecting our foreign exchange and that is why we are having dollar crisis.
“We are calling on Tinubu to do the needful because Nigerians are behind him. He needs to set a track record and he needs to do something that Nigerians will remember him. He needs to call these people to order.
“The allegation is everywhere that former President Buhari sold crude oil three years ahead of time. Was Buhari aware of this? Or was it done by the cabal around him?
“ People are dying everyday because of the rising inflation. If nothing is done, we will write to the international court of justice because this is the height of injustice against our people”.
He said that despite the crude oil Nigeria is selling, o not much revenue was coming into the country.
Dumale also appealed to Tinubu to unveil the identities of all politicians, corporate organisations and contractors indicted in the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
He said such report developed with billions of Niger Delta money should not be swept under the carpet, adding that not prosecuting indicted persons would be tantamount to aiding and abetting corruption in the country.
He said: “There is a forensic audit report carried out by NDDC. Billions of naira was spent to develop the report. Politicians and businessmen were indicted in that report.
“Up till now, they have not brought anybody to book. How will people be afraid and why will people not continue to loot the treasure of the country?”
