The Senate over the weekend said the Minister of Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Deizani Alison-Madueke, may be summoned should the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) fail to tender necessary documents relating to the N10 billion expenses incurred on chartered private jets.
Magnus Abe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) while briefing newsmen informed that should the NNPC fail to submit documents relating to the corporation’s financial dealings since 2012, the minister will have to appear before it to provide details.
According to him, NNPC has consistently failed to give information to the committee since October 2013.
He said, “We’ve not informed the minister of the delay from NNPC and there are issues we know will involve the minister but I don’t think this, at this point, involves the minister. But if we can’t resolve it, we will ask the minister to come with them. But at the moment, it’s between the committee and the NNPC. The NNPC is a corporation. We believe we can sort this out.
“We asked about the crude swap transactions, to know exactly what volumes are being swapped, what the country is getting in return. We haven’t sent that. We also wanted information on the rehabilitation of the refineries to know exactly how far they’ve gone with those programmes, we haven’t seen that.
“We wanted information about the volumes of products that are being sold via the PPMC. We actually haven’t seen that. We wanted information on the aircraft that has now become an issue. We’ve actually asked for this information since last year and we haven’t seen that.
“So, there are lots of what I would call routine information from the NNPC which should be between us, the committee and the NNPC. Oversight is not just visiting the facilities to walk around. It also involves taking a detailed look at how things are done, what’s being done and how the country is benefitting from some of these things that are happening and how we can work together to improve what is being done but, unfortunately, we haven’t received the kind of cooperation I would like to see from the NNPC and we are still believing they would step up their game and work with us so that we can get the best for the Nigerian people.
“The last sitting of the committee on these information we require was particularly bad! They didn’t send anybody; it was only when I got back to the office that I saw a letter from the NNPC, saying that they were still trying to collate this information…since last year, they’ve been collating this information. We believe that at this point, whatever they have or don’t have, we need to actually sit down and look at them together in the best interest of the Nigerian people.
“It is not a witch-hunt or that we are automatically going to share this information with the public but we need to know so that we can work with them to see how we can improve the things we think can be done better and if we have advise we can proffer, we will do that; after we know exactly what is going on. But definitely, we don’t think that any public corporation that is being over sighted by parliament has a right to keep a committee of parliament in the dark.
“Whatever they know, we are entitled to know it. We are also asking for details of how the 2013 budget was implemented. It is part of what we are asking for now; so that we can look through the budget together and its part of what we asked them to bring because I’ve not even seen the budget. I haven’t seen NNPC budget for this year.
“I don’t think that NNPC has that kind of authority to refuse to respond d to a legitimate demand of a committee of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, I don’t want to go I to that kind of speculation.
“I’ve spoken with the NNPC GMD and the information I have is that they are collating the information and they would bring them….To go into the speculation of what the committee would do if they don’t bring the information does not exist.
“This is not me; it is a committee of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and no corporation and nobody to the best of my knowledge, is allowed by our Constitution is allowed to behave in such an irresponsible manner.
“So, if that happens, we will bring it to the attention of the leadership of the Senate and the Senate of the Federal Republic and they would decide where we go from here. But, at the moment, I don’t believe that is on the cards…we’ve been here for some time. We’ve dealt with NNPC and we know our capabilities and limits”.
Prompt News recalls that the House of Representatives has fixed April 28 for commencement of probe into the alleged N10 billion chartered jet scandal.
