By Justin Etim &? Ogogo Alo
President Goodluck Jonathan had, in the wake of the House of Representatives report on subsidy payments, which revealed that some N2.6trilion had been paid out by government to oil importers and marketers, demonstrated his commitment to cleaning up the subsidy payment list by setting up a Presidential Verification Panel (VAP) headed by Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede , banker and Chief executive of Access Bank Plc.
The setting up of the panel showed, in clear terms, Jonathan?s high regard for justice and fair play indicating that neither he nor the country stands to benefit anything from the wrongful punishment of persons who were not indeed involved in the subsidy bazaar.
This decision conforms to the legal maxim which holds that it is better for a horde of guilty persons to escape justice than for an innocent individual to be unjustly punished.
It is in the light of this that emerging concerns over the wrongful listing of some persons and businesses by the Aig-Imokhuede Panel on the list of juristic persons who must be punished by the law has become worrisome.
We are guided in our concern by the thought of Uthman Dan Fodio wherein he said a nation can survive without God, but no nation can survive without justice. In law, however, it is trite that justice should not only be done but also seen as being, and having been done.
Emerging concerns over the wrongful listing of oil marketers, who have produced evidence to show, and prove, that, indeed, they acted within the limits of their contractual obligations with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) ought to attract the attention of government for a review.
We are of the view that any such marketer ought to be given an opportunity for fair hearing whereby he or she would dispel every insinuation or allegation of wrongful act in the subsidy bazaar by providing necessary documentary evidence which must be verified against the issuing and receiving authorities. Whereby it is found that the receiving authorities issued clearance certificates for products not supplied, then, such authority must be greatly sanctioned for sabotaging the economy.
We believe that despite the need to stamp out corruption in Nigeria?s oil, painting every marketer with the same anti-social, anti-economic and overtly corrupt brush, would, in the long run, be counter-productive.
We make bold to remind that for a country which rests its development and progress on the twin pillars of unity and peace, only justice would guarantee a focused progression towards achieving the ultimate goal.
We also remind that a fructuous and mutually suspicious nation as ours need not create more room for skewed innuendo through an unjust punishment of persons or businesses which have remained morally upright in their dealings with the country.
We must also remember that investors, who are interested in pitching tent in our economy, have their ears on the ground to know how, as a country and government, we respond to the demand for justice and equity.
We therefore call for caution and deep circumspection in order to thoroughly sieve through the Aig-Imokhuede panel report with a view to actually singling out those who indeed robbed Nigerians of their money through the subsidy sleaze.
We encourage Jonathan and his team to be further demonstrate? courage in tackling this issue if only to ensure that no one was unjustly punished in the bid to rid Nigeria?s oil industry of corruption.
Etim and Alo sent this piece from Abuja
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Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/09/between-aig-imoukhuede-report-and-finance-minister/
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