The senate has resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations made by Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources, against Maikanti Baru, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
In a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, Kachikwu alleged that Baru was sidelining him and the NNPC board from important decisions affecting the corporation.
Kachikwu also accused Baru of insubordination and of awarding contracts without due process.
“The Board of NNPC which you appointed and, which has met every month since its inauguration and, which by the statutes of NNPC is meant to review these planned appointments and postings, was never briefed. Members of the Board learnt of these appointments from the pages of social media and the Press Release of NNPC,”Kachikwu said.
On Wednesday, the senate while considering a motion on ‘allegations of corruption against NNPC trading: time to conduct a holistic investigation’, resolved to probe the allegations after Kabir Marafa drew the attention of the lawmakers to them.
Earlier, while moving the motion, Samuel Anyanwu, senator representing Imo east, said Baru allocated “almost all products to Duke Oil, this is in addition to its automatic inclusion in the lifting of crude oil, gas etc, which thus, made Duke Oil a money spinning outfit that is accountable only to NNPC”.
The senator said “Duke Oil as the sole importer of AGO has slowed down the growth of the country’s indigenous companies”.
“Since NNPC owns NNPC trading limited and the refineries, they also shortlist companies that get allocation of products, lifting of crude oil and importation of products thus, giving undue advantage to the in house company, even where it lacks the capacity and requisite requirements to do what it is doing today,” he said.
“The general lack of transparency and level playing field in favour of Duke Oil to lift products without payment as against its competitors in the sector. These have combined to make Duke Oil the highest money earner and at the same time, the highest money waster because of the massive corruption in the way and manner they transact business.”
He said Duke Oil lacked the credentials to trade internationally and its relationship with the NNPC has stifled the “growth of indigenous companies operating in the sector”.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday interrogated former Governor of Akwa Ibom State Godswill Akpabio over allegation of financial crimes. Daily Trust gathered that Akpabio honoured the invitation by the anti-graft agency to explain allegations of looting of the state’s funds during his tenure. Sources told our correspondent that Senator Akpabio was being interrogated late yesterday evening at the Abuja head offices of the Commission. He was spotted at the EFFC office in company of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rickey Tarfa, at about 5:20pm. Akpabio’s arrest yesterday is fallout of the petition by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong, who had on June 8 this year petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, calling for Senator Akpabio’s probe and accusing him of looting. The petitioner had earlier on Wednesday adopted his petition and provided more details to the anti-graft agency on the allegations against the minority leader of People...
Comments