The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment, Dr. Bukola Saraki yesterday called for stakeholders' summit to resolving problem surrounding the oil subsidy regime in the face of looming fuel scarcity across the country.

Saraki, who first raised the motion for the investigation of the subsidy regime at the upper chamber, said with the current experience of Nigeria over the matter, the time was ripe for a round table discussion to addressing the issue once and for all.

"The facts are very clear now that it is a difficult issue", he said adding: "what government should do is to call a meeting of stakeholders, involving government, oil marketers, labour union etc and let's discuss how to go about it because we can't run away from this thing, otherwise we will continue to have scarcity."

The former governor of Kwara state who stated this while addressing members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state including political office holders, also cleared the air on the rumours that he was behind fund diversion from local government areas of the state saying it would be irrational for him to covet what he did not touch in his eight years in office.

He defended the decision of his administration to initiate land reforms in the state for development purposes but noted such policies are opened to review, assuring all the stakeholders in the state that the state urbanization law will be reviewed to address their concerns.

On the controversies about land and local government fund in the state, the senator said:"the matter got to my attention before I went to the lesser hajj. I met with the leadership of IDPU. I expressed surprise about how a law passed some years ago was being raised again and they said it was because of the implementation of some aspects.

He added,"we agreed that laws and policies are subject to review and we set out the modalities for such but I was taken aback when I heard some people say that the Eid ground and Emirs palace had been sold. It is all lies; no one will ever do that but unfortunately that is the kind of challenge you face in government.

"But I am happy by the kind of reception we have received today and I want to assure our people in the emirate that we shall never do anything against their interest. From hindsight now we see maybe there were areas we should have touched with the law but I am glad it is being resolved.

"On the local government fund problem, many of the allegations are baseless and meaningless. Throughout my tenure I did not tamper with local government fund and the governor there now being a product of that system couldn't have done that. I am happy he has met the council chairmen and challenged them to explain the allegation; for them tomention who has been deducting their fund and for whom.

"We are lucky as a state that despite our varied religious and ethnic background we are till together and so we should avoid anything that will send the state into panicking."