Nigeria spent about $35bn (N6.9bn) in the last five years to subsidise petroleum products, the World Bank has said. In its ‘Nigeria Economic Report No. 3’, which was released in Abuja on Tuesday, the bank said fuel subsidy incapacitated the country’s ability to save for the rainy day occasioned by falling crude oil prices in the international market.
On gas, the report stated that despite serious disruptions in supply in the first half of the year, the country flared more gas than the one used in generating electricity, adding that much more gas was sold to foreign consumers despite the huge demand and inadequate supply at home.
The report presented by the World Bank Lead Economist in Nigeria, Mr. John Litwack, stated, “The fiscal cost of the fuel subsidy is very high, reaching an estimated $35bn during 2010–2014. Moreover, annual costs are increasing over time due to rising fuel demand and the depreciation of the naira.
“In recent years, numerous audits and reports have identified widespread corruption and fraud in the administration of the fuel subsidy, and official petrol imports have substantially exceeded actual consumption. Attempts by the government to crack down on fraud and delay payment of the subsidy have commonly met with severe fuel shortages in the country that also impose high economic and welfare costs on Nigerians.
“The $35bn cost of the fuel subsidy during 2010–2014 was a primary reason why Nigeria was unable to accumulate a fiscal reserve in the Excess Crude Account that could have protected the country from the recent oil price shock. Fuel subsidy obligations are expected to reach 18 per cent of all government oil revenues in 2015, and, if the current regulated prices are maintained, this is projected to increase to more than 30 per cent by 2018.”
The report added that the recent sharp decline in oil prices and revenues had motivated the country to reconsider its commitment to the fuel subsidy regime that compensates importers and traders of petrol and kerosene.
PUNCH