Leadership (Abuja)
Osunde Adesuwa
23 April 2008
Abuja — The House of Representatives yesterday put wheels in motion to probe the activities of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and the Department of Petroleum Resources by setting up a 26-man committee to conduct the investigation.
This came as a result of a motion moved by Hon. Halims Agoda and 95 other members.
The motion sought for a public hearing on the operation and activities of the NNPC and its subsidiaries from 1999 to 2008 with a view to "uncovering the causes of the apparent rot, sharp practices and looting that have permeated all facets of the operations of the sector as well as to unmask the perpetrators of these economic crimes against the nation."
Apparently aware of the gravity and sensitive nature of the probe, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, warned the lawmakers that he would not allow the exercise to be used for witch-hunting, stressing that the decision of the House to embark on the exercise has the potential of putting the credibility of the hallowed chamber at stake.
"Do you really have any idea what you are about to start? There will be no witch- hunting of any individual or group.
"The credibility of this House is on the line and we shall not personalise or trivialise issues. We will debate along the lines that will improve the petrol sector and, in particular, the living standard of those in the Niger Delta."
Hon. Agoda, representing Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency of Delta State, while deliberating the motion, said it became imperative to look inwards into the activities of the oil sector in order to correct the wrongs.
He added that he had "no doubt in mind that if this motion is critically analysed,the good people of Nigeria and President Yar'Adua will be on the threshold of history."
"It is to take stock of the petrol sector in the country and to position it for national development. Democracy behooves on us to be accountable to the people and the burden of ascertaining the true state of our nation rests on us.
"If we take a holistic stock of the sector, the finances of the nation are synonymous with the revenue from the sector and nature has blessed us abundantly but we conceal figures and facts in the management of public finances. How much did we derive from petrol from 1999 to 2003? How much was remitted to the nation's treasury, the PTDF, etc?
"There is a distinctive disconnection between the leaders and Nigerians. Who can tell us the quantity of oil we produce? There is no doubt that there is a sense of frustration among our people. It is due to leadership.
"Figures from CBN did not correspond with the ones from NNPC. The ones from the Ministry of Finance do not correspond with the ones from RMAFC. It is our duty. We will not pursue anybody but do what is right based on statistics. History will record us right for taking the right decisions.
"The press and the general public have called for the probe of the oil sector because of the unwholesome practices that obtained in the sector. The GMD of NNPC said that the petroleum sector in Nigeria has been hijacked by a few hooligans who are using it for their selfish interests.
"To most Nigerians, this is the season of hope. To me, it is the season of reality to tell ourselves the truth as a nation. We need to look at system failure. Today, we need to make history, not to victimise anyone but as a House with responsibility to set the NNPC right," he argued.
Hon. Garba Matazu (Matazu/Musawa Federal Constituency of Katsina State), while contributing to the motion, added that the public hearing would reveal a lot of discrepancies in the sector, adding , "by the time this public hearing starts, what we are hearing in the power sector will be nothing but child's play.
"We are going to open a can of worms. By the time we do that, this chambers will not be able to accommodate big and small worms. By the time the exercise is successfully completed, we will be making history."
Hon. Aliyu Ahmed Wadada (Keffi/Karu/Kokona Federal Constituency of Nassarawa State), remarked that the exercise was important because "the importance of the motion cannot be over-emphasized. It is sensitive and nationalistic. We owe ourselves and Nigerians the responsibility to ensure that they are well governed.
"There can't be good governance without accountability. The bedrock of sustenance of Nigeria is the NNPC.
"We must ensure that NNPC operates within the rule of the game. Unless we do what we are supposed to do, NNPC will continue to ignore the rules of the game. NNPC has entered into phony agreements to shortchange Nigeria. The right thing must be done at the right time. We must look into this mess."
Hon. Mohammed Ali Ndume, the minority leader, gave his nod to the probe, stressing that it "had nothing to do with individuals or personalities. It is something we have to do. We should take it as our responsibility. Nigerians will be further happy with us for bringing this motion."
For Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon (Oredo Federal Constituency of Edo State), "The pestilence that has greeted the oil sector is regrettable, that in a country blessed with human resources, because of the lack of direction, a vast majority of Nigerians still continue to live in abject poverty."
Hon. Farouk Lawan (Kano State) stated in his contribution that he supported the motion for several reasons, pointing out that "this is not the first time the House has raised issues on the oil sector but this is when it has become absolutely necessary to do it dispassionately to set the records straight."
He went further to say that "any time the National Assembly commenced budget work, it has always been difficult to get the accurate figures from the oil sector. Nobody has any verifiable data to clearly show the amount of crude oil in production or how revenue accrues from the sale.
"The colossal amount of money wasted on cash call in our joint venture is worrying. We have more difficult terrains elsewhere in the world where oil exploration is done, yet ours is more expensive. This shows the level of inaccuracy and graft in the sector.
"It is incumbent on the House to ensure that in future Nigerians have confidence in the figures that are presented. NNPC has remained non-transparent and unaccountable to the people of Nigerians," he concluded.
Speaker Bankole consequently set up the 26-man ad-hoc committee, which was given two months to complete its assignment.
The committee is chaired by Hon. Igu Aguma. Other members from the six geo-political zones of the country are Tam Brisibe, Clever Ikisikpo, Leo Ogor, Martins Babale, Chineye Ike, Abike Dabiri, David Idoko, Abdulaziz Abubakar, Aro Bamidele, Bello Sulaiman, Adamu Abbas, Igwe Paulinus, Ajibade and Bala Banye.
Others are Bethel Amadi, Ihembe Herman, Abbas Olokeniyan, Hon Yusuf Tsugar, Uche, Tayo Fawehinmi, Danladi Liman, Bature Mohammed, Shettima Shehu and Dave Salako.
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