Niger: the Minister of Finance explains the suspension of the transit of hydrocarbons to Mali

 

 

                                                  Niger Minister of Finance Ahmat Jihoud

 

In a video, the Nigerien Minister of Finance Ahmat Jihoud explained the reasons which prevailed for the suspension of the transit of hydrocarbons to Mali. According to him, this is a decision taken a few weeks ago. He made a point of specifying that this decision is in no way linked to the “discourteous” remarks made by the acting Prime Minister of Mali, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga at the UN podium.

The Minister of Finance of Niger Ahmat Jihoud gives the real reasons for the suspension of the transit of hydrocarbons to Mali.

This decision would be  » particularly linked to five authorizations that I personally signed for the transit authorization of the super, that is to say the gasoline that would come from Nigeria to Mali « , he explained.

“ These are authorizations that we routinely sign. I signed them precisely on August 12. It is about 5 authorizations ”, he adds .

Minister Ahmat Jihoud said he was questioned by the Nigerian Petroleum Products Company (SONIDEP), two weeks after he went on vacation on this issue.

According to him, the company complained that the authorizations granted jeopardized its financial health because there were repayments that were made on Nigerien territory.

 » This means that the hydrocarbons, in particular gasoline, which was supposed to transit from Nigeria to Mali via Niger, is returned to Nigerien territory at a price differential because gasoline is less expensive in Nigeria than in Niger. Consequently, the persons concerned or the beneficiaries of these authorizations took advantage to dump or return these hydrocarbons here (Editor’s note Niger) , ” said Minister of Finance Jihoud.

He states that after analysis and supporting video, SONIDEP had convinced him of the existence of this fraud and it was on this basis that he asked the customs administration to suspend the transit of oil products. And this is how the customs administration submitted to him the five suspension letters associated with each of the five authorizations he suspended on September 9.

The Minister, Ahmat Jihoud said that it was following this decision that he asked the director general of customs to take a note to share this decision with the customs units which are at the border level both at the entrance only at the exit for it to be official.

 » But it turned out that when the decision to suspend was taken on September 9, we already had a large contingent of tanks entering the country, which is of course linked to the authorizations we granted ,  » he said. .

 » It seemed unfair to me to say that we are suspending and that these trucks must leave and I have asked the general directorate of customs to make arrangements to escort them until they leave the borders and after that when we have cleared this stock,” he said .

For the record, Niger’s customs department announced in a memorandum dated September 21, 2022, the suspension of authorizations for the transit of petroleum products to its neighbor Mali.

Several media had linked this decision to the speech given against Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, on Saturday September 24, 2022 at the UN platform, by the Malian interim Prime Minister, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga.

 

Yaovi AGBEGNIGAN

E-Mail: togoscoop@gmail.com

Tél : (00228) 90 96 63 64/ 99 56 57 88 : Pour vos reportages, annonces et publicité, contacter le service commercial de votre site Togoscoop.