Keyamo Asks N’Assembly to Probe Alison-Madueke, Nnpc, Others over Oil Swaps

Posted by admin | 9 years ago | 3,376 times



Following allegations of massive fraud, the two chambers of the National Assembly have been advised to commence investigation into the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), particularly in the areas of crude oil swap programme and offshore processing agreements (OPAs).


Making the call yesterday in a letter addressed to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Festus Keyamo, alleged the looting of the country resources by some NNPC officials in collaboration with some local companies.


The crude oil swaps  is an arrangement whereby about 50 per cent of the nation’s daily quota of crude oil meant for domestic refining and consumption are given to some local companies in the oil and gas sector which then sell the products in the international market and thereafter import petroleum products, including derivatives or byproducts on behalf of the NNPC and PPMC for sale and distribution in the country.


It was a programme put in place due to the inability of local refineries to operate at their fully installed capacities which would have been able to refine all the daily domestic quota of crude oil.
Similarly, the offshore processing agreements (OPAs) is the allocation of the daily domestic quota of crude oil to some local companies so that the companies then take the crude oil to refineries outside the country, refine them into petroleum products, including derivatives or byproducts, and import them into the country on behalf of the PPMC.


But according to Keyamo, there have been “colossal fraud in both programmes”  in recent years.
He alleged that: “The fraud occurs when far less quantity of petroleum products, byproducts and derivatives are imported into the country by the local companies in exchange for the crude oil allocated to them by the NNPC,” he alleged.
He added that: “The staggering shortfalls in the imported products are done with the active connivance, collusion and knowledge of the officials of the NNPC. The proceeds are, of course, subsequently shared between the NNPC officials and these local companies.
“In fact, it is reported that a colossal sum of about $50billion  have been stolen by these people through these fraudulent programmes in the last few years.”


The lawyer named some NNPC officials, who he said are already under investigation by  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission  (EFCC) and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) as some of the brains behind the scam.
“I humbly request that you direct your searchlight on  the  Managing Director, NPDC, Mr. Tony Moneke;  Executive Director, Commercial, PPMC, Mr. Frank Amejo; Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe and former Managing Director, NPDC, and later NNPC Group Executive Director, E & P, Mr. Abiye Membere.
“I also urge you to invite the following private, local companies in the oil and gas sector in the course of your probe to assist in getting to the bottom of the whole sordid affair: AITEO that is owned by Mr. Benny Peters; Sahara Energy owned by Tonye Cole; Tope Sonubi and Ade Odunsi;


Ontario Oil and Gas owned by Walter Wagbatsoma and Taleveras founded by Mr. Igho Sanomi,” he said
He also called for probe into the roles that the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke may have played in the allegation of massive fraud.


“Though I understand she also wrote a petition in this regard few days before leaving office, but it is not always the case that it is the person that runs first to the police station to report an incident that is the victim.
“I find it extremely curious that she waited till a few days to the end of her tenure before writing that petition. I also find it curious that she wrote a petition in respect of matters over which she had total control and in respect of which she had complete access to all the documents and personnel involved. In fact, the above-mentioned personnel were her subordinates whom she could have queried long ago if she smelt any rat.


Keyamo reminded the lawmakers of their investigative responsibility and powers preserved under section 88(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which is to ‘expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement or administration of funds appropriated by it’.
“The danger in not exposing these acts of corruption through open and public hearings is that even the investigators may be tempted to engage in cover-ups and under-hand dealings because of the colossal sums involved in these shady deals,” he noted.


Source: This Day

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