NNPC is the engine room of corruption in Nigeria – Saraki

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has described the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as the engine room of corruption in the country.

Saraki also bemoaned the fact that perpetrators of illegal deals in the corporation have not been apprehended and put on trial.

The Senate President said this while addressing the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress led by its President, Ayuba Wabba, in his office, on Thursday, July 23.

He said, “I think we need the cooperation of our workers who know it all. They see it happen and when you look at the anti-corruption agencies, with all due respect, you will find out that 80 per cent of some of the cases are cases at the state level.

“You hardly see where people who are the real engine room – which is the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation – where most of these corruption cases on oil are, being put on trial.”

“We in the 8th Senate have said there will be zero tolerance for corruption. Corruption is one issue slowing down development and some of the problems we are tackling.

“Whether you talk about our refineries not working, you talk of the issue of fuel subsidy, you talk about the high cost of governance, everything you talked about comes back to this issue of corruption and I think it is time for all of us, those of us in the National Assembly, the Executive and the workers to show serious commitment.

“This should not be a headline-grabbing approach because at the end of the day, you are workers, when you talk about oil theft, we have Nigerian workers at the terminals who surely must know when this thing is going on.

“Everywhere that there is corruption, some workers are there either participating or observing. We now have a great opportunity to win the war against corruption because we have a leadership led by President Muhammadu Buhari that we believe has the political will to do the right thing”

“We are assuring you that at the executive side, we have elected the President that will do it well. I am making the commitment on behalf of the National Assembly and myself that we are committed to fighting corruption.”