The Presidency has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order, which halted revenue deductions by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other agencies.

It said the Petroleum Industry Act violates and is not superior to the Nigerian Constitution.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated that criticism of the directive, by petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria demonstrated lack of understanding of the Constitutional supremacy over ordinary legislation.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria on Friday opposed the Presidential fiat, accusing the President of violating the PIA with his revenue retention order.

But the Presidential spokesman insisted that union made a “knee-jerk reaction” without studying the constitutional provisions underpinning the directive.

The Presidency maintained that the Order is necessary to plug revenue leakages and ensure that funds constitutionally due to all tiers of government are not diverted through statutory deductions.