The petroleum industry is prone to the devious machinations of financial crooks. They would stop at nothing to get what they want regardless of the negative impact of their activities to the nation’s interest.
The cabal, the membership of some of which trace their origin to the previous political regime, have a clever way of mutating so their financially hemorrhaging operations would continue undisturbed.
Of the assortment of interest groups in this industry, those created during the John Mahama regime are the most stubborn: their ingenuity providing them a consistent source of funding.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NPA, Alhassan Tampuli, has refused to budge to the litany of intrigues so far aimed at breaking his resolve to fight the petroleum industry mafias.
A few months ago, they turned their attention to social media for a smear operation which failed to fly thinking that perhaps that could help them achieve their objective.
We have just learnt from an industry source about how the tracking system, created long before the President Akufo-Addo administration inherited the reins of government, is a source of regular supply of funding to the cabals: the political war chest of the largest opposition party can always count on this money channel – courtesy the ingenuity of NDC financial engineers. These and others were established under the aegis of the John Mahama government; its tap roots so deep it would take an equal dose of ingenuity of the current administration to reverse it.
Created and subtly managed by a cabal with allegiance to the old political order, it is milking the petroleum industry stealthily. For watchers of the sector, they are wondering why to date the status quo has not changed and the NDC favouring tracking system remains functional.
The tracking device, DAILY GUIDE has gathered, serves the financial needs of the family and friends of the former President costing a mandatory 0.15 pesewas per litre of petrol to the consumer.
We once again recognize the efforts of the current administration, at both the political and NPA levels, in ensuring financial sanity in the sector. We would be quick to ask, however, that the issue of the inherited tracking system be reviewed with a view to ensuring value for money in petroleum transactions.
We trust the ability of the NPA to devise an effective means of getting around this albatross currently around its neck – proceeds of which favour some politicians and not the consumer of petrol and diesel.
It is simply inconceivable why consumers would suffer this avoidable burden of $30,000 per unit which is more than the cost of a singly pickup vehicle at $29,000.
With estimated 300m litres of fuel consumed monthly, nationally it translates to GH¢4.5m the equivalent of $1m monthly. This is what goes to a single company established by the previous political order.
As society’s sentinel, we have sounded the whistle and expect that this issue would attract the necessary public parley and attention.