NLC blasts Diezani, govs on use of private jets

The NLC, in a statement signed by its President Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, said it was alarmed at the reported level of waste by public office holders in Nigeria, particularly high profile public officers such as state governors, ministers and even their aides in the use of hired private jets. The NLC commended the probe into […]

The NLC, in a statement signed by its President Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, said it was alarmed at the reported level of waste by public office holders in Nigeria, particularly high profile public officers such as state governors, ministers and even their aides in the use of hired private jets.
The NLC commended the probe into the matter by the House of Representatives, describing it as timely, “coming at a time that  other public office holders, including state governors  had  also  been alleged to have  squandered  as much as N130 million monthly to hire and maintain private jets.”
“It is nauseating that the minister of petroleum resources, whose ministry  supervises  the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which  has become the most prominent in financial scandals involving public institutions in Nigeria, will chose to be flying in hired private jets while the petroleum industry is sliding in stinking rots,” the congress president said.
“Refineries and other infrastructure under her supervision have totally collapsed; management of resources meant to uplift the industry has become subjects and sources of several scandals in recent times.
“This same minister was recently quoted as advocating further excruciating hardships for Nigerians through complete removal of petroleum subsidy, including kerosene which the poor and the working class depend on. Indeed, what is further required is a holistic, transparent and result-driven probe of the entire financial recklessness of public resources on adventures that contribute nothing to the development of our country.”
Omar added that “in a country in urgent need of development infrastructure that are capable of lifting up our local industries, create real employment, deliver quality social services; it is not only sad that our public officers are shamelessly enmeshed in financial recklessness, it is equally condemnable that so much public funds are being expended on acquisition and hiring of private jets even to destinations conveniently plied by commercial airlines.”
He said: “it is abhorring that state governors who have always complained of inability to pay the minimum wage to public servants in their states under the pretense of paucity of funds could embark on such wastage at the expense of the sweat and sacrifice of workers and to the detriment of the development of their states.”