The Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources ( Downstream) is set to probe the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on some of its financial dealings.
The Senator Magnus Abe-led committee had previously tried unsuccessfully to get details of the NNPC’s use of public funds.
The House of Representatives had mandated its Committee on Public Accounts to investigate the alleged squandering of N10billion government funds on the charter and maintenance of a Challenger 850 aircraft for unofficial use by the minister of petroleum resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.
However, NNPC said it had not chartered any aircraft for the exclusive use of the minister or any of its officials.
NNPC also said that contrary to the information making the rounds, Alison-Madueke had not chartered any aircraft for her personal use or for her family.
LEADERSHIP checks revealed that the committee had written to the NNPC group managing director, Andrew Yakubu, last Friday to obtain details of the aircraft’s purchase and other uses of its funds.
However, the NNPC failed to show up for yesterday’s meeting with the Senate Committee.
The committee had severally written to the NNPC to obtain clarity on some of its investigations. The committee is seeking detailed record of the volumes and sales of all crude oil and products, detailed record of the volumes of crude oil received as part of the crude swap arrangement by local refineries including (a) quantity used locally and (b) quantity swapped.
Others are details of kerosene importation and distribution, details of the number and management of aircraft in the corporation’s fleet, both chartered and purchased, details of funds expended on aircraft purchases, hiring and maintenance in the last two years.
It also seeks contract papers on the lease or purchase of aircraft, issues surrounding the turn around maintenance and/or rehabilitation of refineries and supply and distribution of petroleum products and ancillary issues.
According to the letter sent to the GMD NNPC last week which reads: “I am directed to refer to you to the committee’s several letters of invitation to meet win the committee and requests to furnish the committee with information relating to the activities of your corporation since October 2013.
“I am to draw your attention to the fact that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, statutorily empowers the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by extension, its committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to oversight the activities of the NNPC and its subsidiary refinery companies.
“I am to further express the committee’s dissatisfaction with the conduct of the management of the NNPC, especially it’s seeming disrespect and disregard of the committee’s invitations and requests for information and data relating to the activities of the Corporation and its refinery companies.
“Also, in view of the inability and or unpreparedness of your officials to adequately respond to questions at the committee’s meeting of Tuesday and Wednesday, 1st and 2nd April, 2914, the committee resolved to further invite the Group Managing Director (PPMC), the Group Executive Director (R&P), and the Managing Directors of all the nation’s refineries to a meeting on Tuesday, April 8.”
LEADERSHIP checks also revealed that previous meetings between the NNPC and the committee has always been frustrated because junior officers have been sent to attend the meetings.
A committee member who spoke on the condition of anonymity said “Those who attend the meetings are either junior officers or they are not in possession of documents or details pertaining to what the committee wants…”
http://leadership.ng/news/364480/senate-probes-nnpc-aircraft-purchase
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