The
Senate Ad Hoc Committee probing the “$25billion transactions” by the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is under pressure to drop the
enquiry, The Nation has learnt.
Some
prominent citizens have been asking committee Chairman Aliyu Wammako to either
stay action on the probe or work towards a “soft-landing” investigation and
report.
Others,
who are influential stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, have been
lobbying the Senate leadership to suspend the probe in the light of “convincing
clarifications” by the Presidency.
Besides,
they maintain that there are “no issues” to investigate again, a source said.
But
some members of the committee are said to be adamant, insisting on the investigation
of the issues in the August 30 memo of the Minister of State for Petroleum
Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.
The
pressure is believed to have accounted for why the panel has not started
sitting since it was constituted by the Senate on October 4.
It
was learnt that in the past two weeks, lobbyists have been trailing Wammako to
his residence in Asokoro District.
One
of such high-profile lobbying sessions took place last Wednesday.
A
source said: “These bigwigs actually wanted the Senate to suspend the probe.
But the chamber said since the issue was already in the public domain, it will
not be good for the image of the Senate.
“The
battle has shifted to the Senate Ad Hoc Committee. Some of these lobbyists have
either asked Wammako to either stay away from the probe or work towards a
“soft-landing” investigation and report.
“In
one breath, they claimed that since the Presidency and NNPC had made convincing
clarifications that there was no contract awarded, going into the allegations
contained in the Minister’s memo will be chasing shadows.
“They
alleged that since the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe
Kachikwu and the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru have
reconciled, there is nothing to probe.”
“Some
of the lobbyists are believed to have cautioned the Senate Committee against
causing a fresh distress in the oil sector.
They
told some members of the committee that even Kachikwu and Baru did not want the
investigation to go on because it might affect the oil and gas industry. About
40 oil firms are likely to be summoned.
“This
is the real reason why the committee has not been able to sit. The chairman and
members are really under pressure,” the source said.
But
some members of the committee have insisted that the investigation must go
ahead “in the interest of Nigerians” and to protect the integrity of the
Senate.
The
logic, according to a member of the committee, is that “since the committee has
been mandated by the Senate to look into issues between Kachikwu and Baru, we
have no choice than to carry out this legislative duty.
“To
me, I believe the interest of Nigeria is paramount than any other
consideration. I believe the probe will go on; what we are working out is
logistics,” he said, pleading not to be named.
Apart
from Wammako, other members of the committee are Senators Tayo Alasoadura;
Kabiru Marafa; Albert Bassey; Sam Anyanwu; Ahmed Ogembe; Chukwuka Utazi; Rose
Okoh and Baba Kaka Garbai.
The
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Edmund Ibe Kachikwu and the
Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
Dr. Maikanti Baru, have been locked in a big row over alleged award of $25b
contracts, insurbodination and lack of respect for due process.
Kachikwu
asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call the GMD to order.
He
said he was always being blocked from seeing the President.
Kachikwu,
who made his views known in an August 30th, 2017 memo to President Muhammadu
Buhari, claimed that five major contracts were never reviewed by or discussed
with him or the Board of NNPC. He listed the contracts as follows:
·
The Crude Term
Contracts – value at over $10b
·
The DSDP contracts –
value over $5b
·
The AKK pipeline
contract – value approximately $3b
·
Various financing
allocation funding contracts with the NOCs – value over $3bn
·
Various NPDC
production service contracts – value at over $3bn – $4bn
Both
the NNPC and its Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru have insisted that
the transactions were validly conducted within the agency’s expenditure limits.
They
claimed that the board of NNPC cannot approve contracts but they can review and
give advice.
They
insisted that the NNPC only carried out transactions and did not award
contracts.
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