The Senate is intensifying its scrutiny of the country’s oil sector, summoning the immediate past leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over an eye-popping N210 trillion in unaccounted funds, as it also moves to investigate a controversial N5 billion expenditure on the company’s rebranding.
On its part, the House of Representatives is considering legislation to provide a comprehensive legal framework for Nigeria’s national decarbonisation programme as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s climate transition agenda.
Meanwhile, the House Public Accounts Committee is querying the alleged abandonment of a N365 million National Library of Nigeria (NLN) project in Jalingo, Taraba State, following a petition submitted by BudgIT Foundation.
The Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), yesterday, issued the summons to former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari; ex-Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Umar Isa; and former General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Dr Bala Wunti. They are to appear before the committee alongside the present NNPCL management and external auditors who served between 2017 and 2023.
The committee chairman, Senator Aliyu Ahmed (Nasarawa West), warned that failure to comply could result in the issuance of arrest warrants. “This is a matter of national importance,” he said. “We cannot allow such large sums to hang over the nation without accountability.”
The N210 trillion under scrutiny comprises N103 trillion reportedly expended by NNPCL joint venture partners from cash calls, and N107 trillion classified as subsidy receivables or sundry amounts, some owed by banks and other entities. The committee described past explanations from NNPCL as “unsatisfactory” and demanded full accounting.
In a particular flashpoint, the committee questioned why the national oil company spent N5 billion simply to change its name from NNPC to NNPCL, describing the move as “unacceptable” and demanding a detailed explanation.
The Senate also directed that NNPCL reform its treasury operations, reclaiming all production costs charged against crude oil revenue, noting that neither NNPCL nor its subsidiaries directly produce crude oil.
Further, the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF) has been asked to carry out a forensic audit of NNPCL’s finances in line with Section 85 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
CHAIRMAN of the House Committee on Mandatory National Decarbonisation, Sesi Whingan, while briefing journalists after a stakeholders’ roundtable on the national decarbonisation programme in Abuja, yesterday, disclosed that “although Nigeria already operates under the Climate Change Act 2021”, the proposed National Decarbonisation Bill “is intended to complement existing initiatives” and strengthen the country’s climate governance architecture.
The lawmaker revealed that the bill had already passed first and second readings in the House and expected to proceed to a public hearing before the end of the month.
He added that the legislation would support the work of the National Council on Climate Change and harmonise various energy transition plans being implemented across different sectors of the economy.
BudgIT accused the National Library of Nigeria of abandoning the construction of a prototype National Library building in Jalingo after paying the contractor about N292 million.
Chief Executive Officer of NLN, Prof Chinwe Anunobi, appeared before the Bamidele Salam-led committee yesterday to respond to the allegations.
During the session, the agency explained that the contract for the construction of the National Library state branch in Jalingo was initially awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited at N238 million, with a completion timeline of March 2019.
According to the agency, the contract sum was later reviewed upward to N365 million in March 2023 following a variation approved through the Federal Ministry of Education.
The National Library boss told lawmakers that N292.267 million had been paid to the contractor and that the project was about 85 per cent completed.
She added that about N7.3 million remains as the outstanding balance on the project.
However, members of the Public Accounts Committee expressed concern over the project’s status, noting that despite the substantial payment made, the contractor had not been seen on site since October 2023.
The committee also questioned the eighth payment certificate valued at N65.2 million processed alongside an earlier unpaid certificate despite limited documentation provided to justify the payments.
Lawmakers further observed that the only document submitted to the committee was the original letter of award, while other key procurement documents, including the variation request and approval records, were missing from the agency’s submission.
Responding, Anunobi said some of the processes surrounding the project predated her tenure but assured lawmakers that all relevant documents would be submitted to the committee.
Following deliberations, the committee directed NLN to submit all outstanding procurement and payment documents relating to the project.
It also constituted a three-member investigative team to conduct a physical inspection of the project site in Jalingo.
The committee further directed NLN and the contractors, Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited, to reappear before it after the inspection for a final determination on the project’s status and possible next steps.
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