Senate summons agencies’ heads over fuel import records

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has actually turned down the 2022 and 2023 Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) importation records provided by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), mentioning undesirable variations when compared to figures sent by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The committee has actually summoned the primary executives of the NMDPRA, NNPCL, and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to appear before it to describe the inconsistencies or face direct exposure for possible scams.

The inconsistencies emerged throughout a legal hearing on inquiries raised in the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report (2021– 2023).

Safeguarding the regulator’s figures, NMDPRA’s Authority Chief Executive, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, represented by Deputy Director Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, firmly insisted that the company’s records stayed reputable in spite of opposing the NNPCL’s submissions.

“We stand at 3.29 billion litres of PMS as the volume imported in 2022 and 6.02 billion litres in 2023, versus 6.27 billion litres tape-recorded by NNPCL in 2022 and 3.88 billion litres in 2023. The small variations are being checked out for possible reconciliation,” Ugwu-Ojobe stated.

The defence drew speedy condemnation from committee members, who declined the assertion that the multi-billion-litre spaces were simply “minor.”

Responding to the figures, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) kept in mind that variation surpassing 50% indicate systemic inflation or bad responsibility.

“The variations in records of PMS importation in between NMDPRA and NNPCL in 2022 and 2023 … are too broad to be referred to as small or being checked out without the severity needed,” Ningi argued.

Senator Dayo Faduyile (Ondo South) mentioned that the wild swing in numbers “leaves a great deal of space for somebody to believe that something is wrong.”

Senator Anietan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East) required a major probe to secure public funds.

Judgment on the matter, the chairman of the Committee, Senator Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe North) turned down the NMDPRA’s defence and bought a tripartite conference including all essential stakeholders.

“In view of the unacceptability of discussions made by the agent of NMDPRA on inquiries raised versus it in the NEITI Oil and Gas Audit report. This committee solved to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL, and NEITI to describe the factors behind these large variations,” Dankwambo stated.

The Senate panel is anticipated to reveal the date for the tripartite hearing in the coming days.