The presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, on Monday said Nigeria’s crude oil must deliver real and measurable benefits to Nigerians, calling for greater transparency across the petroleum value chain.
Makinde, who is also the Governor of Oyo State, spoke at the commissioning of the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Office in Abuja.
He called for complete transparency in the petroleum sector, covering crude oil production and domestic allocation, refining, transportation, distribution, taxes and retail margins.
According to him, Nigerians should not be made to pay international-equivalent prices for crude supplied to local refineries when the resource is produced domestically.
“If a community grows food, the people of that community should not have to buy that food as though it travelled halfway around the world before reaching them. So, why should crude oil supplied to Nigerian refineries be priced as though Nigeria does not produce crude oil?”
Makinde said the benefits of Nigeria’s crude resources should be incorporated into the system from the outset through the price at which crude is supplied for domestic refining, rather than through what he described as an opaque intervention at the petrol pump after other costs and inefficiencies had accumulated.
“That benefit should be built into the system from the beginning, through the price at which crude oil is supplied for domestic refining — not through an opaque intervention at the petrol pump after all the costs, inefficiencies and distortions have been added.”
He said his Reset Nigeria agenda was aimed at dismantling opaque systems and rebuilding public confidence in government.
“Government must show its workings. Nigerians must be able to see how decisions are made and how national resources are managed.”
Makinde also called on Nigerians to join the Reset Nigeria movement, saying the initiative should extend beyond political circles to communities and everyday economic life.
“Reset Nigeria cannot be a conversation among politicians alone. It must become a conversation in our homes, markets, schools, offices, farms, factories and communities.
“We want to hear from the trader who struggles whenever transport costs rise. We want to hear from the farmer who cannot afford to move produce to the market. We want to hear from the business owner whose costs rise every time the price of fuel changes.
“We want to hear from the young Nigerian who is working hard but can no longer see a clear path to a better life. This office belongs to that conversation. Its doors are open to Nigerians who believe that our country can work better than it does today. So, I invite you: join the Reset Nigeria conversation.”
Earlier, the National Leader of the APM and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, endorsed Makinde’s economic vision and leadership capacity.
He said, “Whoever disregards us is at his own peril. We are here to Reset Nigeria and we are bringing in one of the best human capitals this country has produced — that is Makinde.”
Mohammed praised Makinde’s record in Oyo State, describing him as “A mobilizer, a manager of resources, an engineer par excellence… Somebody who used little resources and did so much.”
He said the Abuja campaign office, which he noted was solely provided by Makinde, demonstrated seriousness and preparedness for the national task ahead.
In his goodwill message, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, said Makinde was qualified to be President of Nigeria.
Obi said his attendance at the event demonstrated that belonging to different political parties did not make politicians enemies, adding that opposition parties would work together to birth a new Nigeria.