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Many people
are poor despite the fact that Nigeria is an oil-rich state (AFP)
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Nigeria is to cut out
middlemen in the purchase and sale of oil and fuel in an attempt to curb
corruption, the state-owned National Petroleum Corporation has said. The move heralds a major
policy shift by Africa's biggest oil producer since President Muhammadu Buhari
took office in May with a promise to tackle corruption.
NPC
spokesman Ohi Alegbe said the decision was made after a screening of previously
used and prequalified petroleum product importers revealed almost all the 34
international and 10 local companies were middleman businesses.
The
new policy was "designed to enshrine transparency and eliminate the
activities of middlemen in the crude oil exchange," he added.
Under the previous
government, shipments of crude were sold to politically-connected businessmen
at favourable rates so that they could pocket the profits.
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