Obi Presidency Would Crack Down On Fuel Import Corruption, Amaechi Says

Rotimi Amaechi, a vise presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stated that if Nigeria’s president was committed to ending the practice, corruption in the fuel importation industry could be addressed quickly.

Amaechi said that in an interview with AIT.

He was questioned about what would happen to the NNPCL and its refineries under an Atiku administration, as well as his plan to reinstate fuel subsidies and its references to the Dangote Refinery and modular refineries.

Amaechi stated that the emphasis should be on the operation of a production subsidy, contending that doing so might entice more investors to build refineries since they would want to take advantage of the subsidy.

He said: “It takes one day to fight corruption. Trust me. You see, it’s the head. If the head is a thief and shows I want to steal, then everybody says, yeah, our mind is bad. If the head is not a thief and says, look, I’m not going to steal, then nobody will steal.

“Let’s assume Obi becomes president. Then he says, today, anybody involved in the corruption of the importation of fuel will be sent to jail. And they know he’s serious. Nobody will steal.”

Many Nigerians appear to have confidence in Obi’s promise to tackle corruption, including in the fuel import sector. Whether that confidence translates into votes—and what the election ultimately brings—remains to be seen.