JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
The Senate, through its Committee on Public Accounts, on Tuesday rejected the oil import volume data presented by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for 2022 and 2023 due to wide disparities between them and those presented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNNPCL).
He accordingly decided to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) for possible reconciliation of records or definitive exposure of the suspected frauds carried out.
Wide disparities in NMDPRA and NNPCL records on the volume of PMS imported by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2022 and 2023 emerged when NMDPRA management responded to questions leveled against it in the 2021-2023 NEITI audit report.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA Authority (ACE), Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, represented by a Deputy Director, Uzoamaka Ugwu – Ojobe, responding to NEITI’s question, told the committee that the NMDPRA’s records on the volume of petroleum imports were credible despite the disparities with those of the NNNPCL.
“We are supporting 3.29 billion liters of PMS as imported volume in 2022 and 6.02 billion liters as imported volume in 2023 against 6.27 billion liters recorded by NNPCL in 2022 and 3.88 billion liters in 2023.
“Slight disparities are being examined for possible reconciliation,” he said.
Annoyed by his presentation, a member of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), said that disparities above 50% are not slight but large and very disturbing and suspicious.
“The disparities in PMS import records between NMDPRA and NNPCL in 2022 and 2023, as stated in the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report 2021 to 2023, are too large to be described as minor or examined without the required seriousness,” it said.
Also bothered by the huge disparities in the documents, Senator Dayo Faduyile (Ondo South), said the disparities leave a lot of room for someone to think something is wrong.
Outright rejecting the NMDPRA’s defense, Senator Anietan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East), said the committee must conduct a thorough investigation into the wide disparity as, according to him, Nigerians must not be allowed to be cheated on an annual basis as evidently demonstrated by the NMDPRA and NNPCL records on the importation of PMS.
“Mr President and very distinguished colleagues, these questionable data on the volume of PMS imports by the two agencies, must be thoroughly investigated to protect Nigerians from possible annual cuts and expose those milking the country dry,” he said.
Consequently, the committee chaired by Senator Hassan Dankwabo (Gombe North), rejected the NMDPRA’s defense and decided to convene a tripartite meeting of the agencies involved at the earliest.
“In view of the unacceptability of the presentations made by the NMDPRA representative on the questions raised against it in the NEITI Oil and Gas Audit report covering the period 2021 to 2023, particularly on the volume of PMS imported in the years under review, this committee has decided to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and NEITI for reasons underlying the wide disparities,” he said.
