Subsidy is organised crime- Obi

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has accused the government of being behind oil theft in the country.

Obi stated this while speaking at the Private Sector Economic Forum of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), insisting that no one can steal oil except the government.

“Subsidy is organised crime,” he said while addressing the audience at the event on Monday in Lagos. “We need an aggressive production of local refining.”

“Make resources available to ensure a private-sector led oil refining,” the former Anambra State governor advised the Federal Government.

The presidential candidate who made the comments in response to panellists’ questions at the event also responded to a query about the government’s expense.

“I have allergies to waste,” declared Obi, who took a swipe at the government again.

He advocated multi-level policing from the federal to the local security systems, insisting that the nation’s security architecture must be overhauled.

The main topics the forum anticipated each candidate to address before the 2023 elections were oil theft, debt burden, subsidy regime, foreign exchange, and other economic difficulties.

The LCCI, which has organised the event for the previous 16 years, stated that it was interested in the economic platforms of each contender vying to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari as leader after his term ends.