The House of Representatives Committee on Finance yesterday chided the Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and the Budget Office to desist from indulging in unconstitutional practice of dictating the amount of operating surplus to be paid by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The Committee also named defaulting MDAs which refused to remit their operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund as Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Asset Management Corporation (AMCON), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
In a bid to halt the trend, Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Abdulmumin Jibrin, gave the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) a 7-day ultimatum to send the list of defaulting ministries, departments and agencies which refused to remit their operating surpluses to the government coffers.
The lawmaker was responding to complaints by the acting Chairman of the Commission, Victor Muruako who stated that some agencies of government are refusing to submit their records of remittances to the commission.
Jibrin while , while expressing worry over the decline in the international price of crude oil, said there is a need to look inwards and therefore urged the Commission to muster the required will-power to discharge its statutory functions.
“Now, all the challenges that we are facing in the country is because of the leakages we have in our revenue, otherwise, I keep saying if we look inwards in the country, we have enough resources, we have a lot of money in the system. And so, when you’re not equipping the agency that has the responsibility to serve as a watchdog to this process, I don’t think you’re doing much good to the country.
“You are mentioning NCC and others, what about the NNPC which is the biggest culprit in this conspiracy against the country? AMCON, NIMASA have all been on our radar for so many years. They claimed to be operating at a loss. The rate of non-remittances from the NNPC alone is ridiculous.
“As for AMCON and NIMASA, they have been claiming to run at a loss year-in year-out, but now that AMCON is making profits from the sale of banks and other businesses, you should follow them up and ask for their financial statement and record of their remittances.
“One other notorious agency which puts up a holier than-thou attitude but with a very hazy fiscal behaviour is the Financial Reporting Council. They are doing the job that the Commission should be doing. Their activities are supposed to be under the radars of the Commission. The Committee has received hundreds of petitions concerning the malfeasance that is going on there. Go after them and make sure that they know their boundaries.”
The lawmaker chided the practice whereby the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General of the federation and the Budget Office tell agencies what to pay into the consolidated Revenue Fund.
”The Accountant-General of the federation and the Ministry of Finance do not have the power to tell any agency what to pay into government coffers. The law is clear on it. The fiscal responsibility commission is the agency that determines what agencies pay,” he said.
Muruako spoke of the need to amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 to bestow the power to prosecute and sanction any defaulting agencies on the Commission
He said: “We need the powers to prosecute and punish offenders of fiscal responsibility. Countries who have gone ahead to make progress in their economies are those who pay adequate attention to their fiscal responsibility regimes. Agencies have succeeded in making government look like an orphan through their attitude towards the Commission in a manner that they doctor their account books using different methods to defraud government.
“We have had issues with the NCC (Nigeria Communications Commission) until the Committee intervened and they paid N22.9 billion for 2007 and 2010. The last N2 billion was paid in April. We are yet to look at their books for 2011 and 2013. Agencies are in the habit of declaring loses even before our team of experts go to check their books. Some of them have formed the habit of not respecting this Commission. NAFDAC has also refused to pay returns, saying that the Commission would soon be closed down.”
According to him, the budgetary allocation for capital projects for the Commission declined from N220 million in 2009 to N53 million in 2014. He pleaded for the support of the lawmakers for additional funding to allow the Commission carry out its statutory duties.
Also yesterday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it has recovered over N5billion from those involved in the oil subsidy scandal.
The commission also said 40 persons and organisations are still on trial for the subsidy scam.
The only exception is the Managing Director of Fargo Energy Limited, Seun Ogunbambo, who was docked for stealing N4.5 billion in bogus subsidy claims.
The suspect , who absconded after he was granted bail by the court, had been declared wanted by the commission.
Besides, the EFCC said it is prosecuting 441 persons for crude oil theft and pipelines vandalisation.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren made the disclosures in Abuja while responding to questions from newsmen at the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA/I-Nigerian Initiative.
He said 71 oil thieves had been jailed by various courts including 45 Nigerians, 10 Ghanaians, 13 Philippines, 10 Indians, two Togolese, one Cameroonian and one Myanmar.
Uwujaren said: “As we speak, the commission has recovered over N5 billion from persons implicated in the subsidy scam, even as it intensifies effort to bring more suspects to book.
”A few months ago, two Indians, Sailesh Kumor Singh, Chadrashekar Sharma were jailed after successful prosecution by the Commission. The duo were among 12 suspected oil thieves arrested in Brass, Bayelsa State in 2012 by the JTF with 157,822 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.
“The two Indians bagged 15 years jail term. Beside that, a total of 71 persons have been convicted for oil theft which include 45 Nigerians, 10 Ghanaians, 13 Filipinos, three Indians, two Togolese, one Camerounian and one Myanmar.
“In the ongoing oil subsidy cases, one of the major kingpins, Seun Ogunbambo, Managing Director of Fargo Energy Limited who was docked for allegedly stealing N4.5 billion in bogus subsidy claims has absconded and disappeared from the shores of Nigeria and has consequently been declared wanted.
“Also, one Azmat Mahmood, a German citizen of Pakistani extraction has also been declared wanted after allegedly using his company Nimex Petroleum Limited to defraud the federal government of over N1.3 billion in a bogus subsidy deal.”
He also allayed fears that the prosecution of other politically exposed persons may have been halted and confirmed that the son of former national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mahmud Tukur and Abdulahi Alao, a son of late Alhaji Arisekola Alao among others were still ongoing.
On why politically exposed persons facing charges of corruption were allowed to vie for elective offices, Uwujaren however, said the commission was “not in a position to give an advisory on whether individual undergoing prosecution for financial crimes are allowed to stand for elections.
”It is left to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make that decision,” he added.
On reforms in the commission, he said the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde had lived up to his pledge to re-professionalize the agency.
Uwujaren said: “One of the strategies which he promised to deploy in tackling the issue of integrity was the introduction of polygraph test for officers and new employees. As we speak, the Commission now has state-of-the-art polygraph equipment with a crop of polygraph examiners trained at the American International Institute of Polygraph in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
“New and old staff of the Commission are now regularly subjected to polygraph test in a determined effort to ensure that they do not deviate from the core values of the Commission, which are courage, professionalism and integrity.
“Fortunately, public and institutional confidence are being restored in the EFCC with relationship with international law enforcement organizations and development partners experiencing a rebound.”
Tag: NNPC
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How AMCON, NNPC, NIMASA cheated Fed Govt, by Reps
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‘Why Diezani, NNPC are evading probe’
The House of Representatives yesterday explained why Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and the NIgerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have refused to honour invitations to them to appear before the House.
The House, in a notice of preliminary objection it filed in a suit by the Minister and NNPC, alleged that the plaintiffs were avoiding being asked to account to the people.
It argued that the suit was merely intended to shield the applicants from public scrutiny by bodies constitutionally empowered to scrutinise public officials and ensure that they are accountable to the public.
The House accused Alison-Madueke and the NNPC of working to frustrate its planned probe of the N10 billion chartered jet scandal in which the Minister featured prominently, and a $1.5 suspicious loan involving the NNPC.
“The minor material leading to the suit is to prevent the investigation by the committee of the 2nd defendant (House of Representatives) into the alleged $1.5 billion loan.
“It was also filed to stop the 2nd defendant from investigating the charter of private aircraft for alleged non-official use by the plaintiffs.
“The major fact leading to the suit is that the plaintiff, who are in the executive branch do not want to be accountable to the people through their representatives in the National Assembly.
“The plaintiffs are seeking to cut off the investigatory powers of the National Assembly,” the House said in its written address filed with the objection by its lawyer, Aminu Sadauki.
The House asked the court to dismiss the suit by the two plaintiffs, on the grounds that it amounted to an abuse of court process.
It also argued that the suit was premature and non-justiciable, adding that the plaintiffs had similar suit “between the same parties and on substantially the same ground”, pending before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The House in a supporting affidavit, argued that the invitations sent to the plaintiffs, which they failed to honour, were in furtherance of the legitimate responsibilities House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream).
At the proceedings yesterday before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja Sadauki (representing the House) informed the court that his client has filed objection and served the defendants.
The judge adjourned to the case to January 26 next year for mention, before which the plaintiffs and 2nd defendant (the Senate) to respond to the objection by the House.
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Shippers Council to implement recommendation of judges’seminar
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), has began the implementation of some of the recommendations of the Maritime Seminar for Judges held in June this year, the Executive Secretary, Hassan Bello has said.
Bello told The Nation that the NSCs’ Legal Department, has set up a committee to look at the communiqué issued at the end of the seminar with a view to identifying how to implement the recommendations.
“A committee was set up at the end of the seminar. It has inter-ministerial responsibilities and they have set up a committee. It has been done to see that certain things are implemented. As you know, the maritime seminar is not just a talk shop. Through the seminar, we have domesticated about two or three conventions, we have also done some administrative changes in maritime sector. It has influenced our judicial decisions also. So, the maritime seminar is a canvasser of thoughts. So, this committee that has been set up is working to see that decisions reached at the last seminar are actualised
Bello said the board of Nigerian Shippers Council is technical and is being represented by NNPC, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). “Also there are issue-based discussions on the challenges in the maritime sector and solutions to these challenges,” he said.
On the increased jurisdiction of the council, whether there is a corresponding increment on their financial allocations, Bello said: “Yes, we love that Shippers Council is ready to go on. As a matter fact, we have made presentation and I am sure it is being looked at. We want to bring more revenue to the government. Through the Customs, we could triple the revenue coming from the ports if given the chance to work. We have started. We would soon make profound statement on issues that we have negotiated.”
Speaking on the Inland Container Depots otherwise called Dry Ports, he said: “It is going on. We have just turned the sod for Funtua. The concessionaire will start construction very soon. We have had discussion with Oyo State government, the Ibadan ICD and many others are in the pipeline. I think the idea has gone down now, it is being accepted. If we have the dry port, it means we are taking shipping to the door steps of shippers. It means that Apapa Port and road would be free from congestion. It means that the economy of the places where these ICD’s are located will boom because there are other industries attached to it. The haulage industry, the warehouses and so on, and the cost of transportation would reduce drastically.”
He added: “We are working with Customs, what is left now is the legal framework and this has been sent to the President by the Minister of Transport. The moment it comes out, construction will start. And then these ports will be ports of destination and ports of origin, which means through bill of lading, you can consign cargo to Funtua from Denmark and when they come, they will not be examined at Apapa, they will just be taken by train to Funtua where they would be examined and you see the train is working now. When we are fully done, all these trucks coming, you will not see them littering the roads any more, they will be in the localities of the ports. So, it will solve the perennial congestion at the port. It will be faster and it will cost the transport cost.
Speaking on mult-modal transport system in the country, Bello said: “That is what we have been doing. Multi-model transportation is the way to go about it. We are even supported by the United Nations Convention on carriage of goods wholly or partly by sea otherwise known as the Rotterdam Rules, which we crafted together with all the African countries. This is a goods convention which supports multi-modalism it will support inter-modalism. That is what is ideal. It is a model where sea ports are linked with the rails, road and inland waterways. It is not all road, now in Nigeria, 80 per cent of the carriage is by roads. That is why we have problem with the roads. So, if we have other means of transport we will use them. The ports particularly, must be linked with many modes of transportation. So, multi-modalism is the future and Nigeria is already moving in that direction.”
Talking on the concept of Transit Parks, Bello said the truck transit park is a Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) initiative for infrastructure change. “There is much deficit in infrastructure and Nigeria will have to modernise its transport infrastructure. Now, we can’t have trailers or trucks parked indiscriminately. That is why we said we could have a truck transit park. It is a modern way where we have parking spaces off the main way, where you have fuel stations, gas stations, hostels, shops, everything, the modern way of doing this thing,” he said.
He added: “This is a revenue booster, we have been allocated land in Kogi State, for example, and this is where we will have the initial one. We are also talking with NNPC, which would like to have their retail outlets in these structures. By the end of next year, we hope that one or two trailer parks will be ready. We are working with other agencies of the government like the Road Safety Corps, and so on. Now, there should be some facilities which have been recommended by ECOWAS protocol on weights of goods by these trucks. It will reduce congestion; ensure the safety and security of cargoes. There will be trackers all over, where you track your cargo. It is a civilised way of doing things”.
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Govt mulls local content policy for power
The Federal Government is putting in place measures to provide a local content policy for the power sector, the Special Adviser on Investments, Finance and Donor Relations to the Minister of Power, Olajuwon Olaleye, has said.
Olaleye told The Nation, that consultations have begun at various levels to make the policy work when it comes on stream, saying the decision was informed by the need to develop home-grown potentials in the sector.
He said the government is getting the desired support from the state governments that have been contacted on the issue. The state governments are urged to provide policy direction for activities undertaken by indigenous operators in the power industry.
He said: “Every state is embracing the decision to formulate and implement local content policy because they know that it is going to provide many benefits.
“They know that the policy will help in bringing developments to our communities and create jobs for their people. We are getting the desired support and the working relationship needed on the issue.’’
He said a committee, comprising the National Council on Power (NCP), and representatives of the 36 states of the federation has been constituted in Abuja by the government to ensure the success of the policy.
The Council, whose members include the Permanent Secretaries and Commissioners for Energy, according to him, is charged with the responsibility of embracing foreign companies that are coming to partner with the local ones in order to foster the sector’s growth.
Olaleye said the policy, which is at the verge of being consummated, will help to harness local potentials, build capacity, and foster competition among stakeholders in the electricity value chain, adding that the sector is taking after the oil and gas sector which has introduced and implemented local content initiatives that have had a far-reaching consequence on the industry.
“The policy is being consummated now. We are going to see a lot of collaborations within the system. There is going to be a lot of synergies among operators. There is no foreign company that comes to Nigeria that does not have a local company it is working with.
“ The policy when ready would ensure that local companies benefit from the foreign firms for the growth of the sector. Just as the government has provided local content policy for the development of human capacity, markets, production of technologies, among other activities capable of strengthening the petroleum industry, so it is planning to do the same thing for the power sector.
“The policy will help in developing home potentials, reduce reliance on importation of technology, and help to widen the markets for the existing and future operators in the sector,” he added.
According to him, the government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Canadian company known as Sky Power on the issue of promoting local content initiatives, adding that the partnership is being consummated.
Olaleye said the government is making efforts to improve power supply going by initiatives it has embarked upon in recent times. The initiatives, he said, include advocating the use of renewable energy, directing the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ministry of Power, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to provide modalities on how to provide gas to improve electricity generation.
He said issues affecting the sector are fundamental, adding that the government is trying to address them. It would be recalled that the government set up the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) few years ago, to provide policy direction for all local activities in the oil and gas industry.
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Firm seeks more deals from IOCs
Indigenous operators in oil and gas sector have urged the Federal Government to ensure that the gains of the Local Content Act get to their target by creating opportunities for the employment of Nigerians by multinational companies in jobs which Nigerian firms can to execute.
The General Manager, Fenog Nigeria Limited, Mr. Uwakwe Chukwudi, made the plea at the commissioning of a self-propelled swamp lay barge; three service vessels; PD350 ton HDD rig; HDD water borehole and soil sample collection rig, and phase 1 of 350 meter rigid pavement access road in base 3 of the company’s jetty/fabrication yard at Ugbuwangwe, Warri, Delta State.
Chukwudi, who called on President Goodluck Jonathan; the Minister of Petroleum Resources; the Group Managing Director of NNPC; Group General Manager, NAPIMS; the Executive Secretary and members of the NCDMB; the International Oil Companies ( IOC’s) and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to assist local companies that have world class capabilities by giving them jobs.
He said his company has been playing its part to ensure that the wealth of the oil and gas industry gets to all Nigerians by massively investing in the building of heavy equipment.
He said the latest equipment will no doubt add momentum to the success of Fenog in the oil and gas industry, urging the IOC’s and government bodies to adopt Fenog’s novel method of pipeline installation as a better technology.
Chukwudi said: “Local companies like Fenog Nigeria Limited deserve encouragement to participate actively in the oil and gas industry. When we are encouraged, development will spread to all parts of the oil-rich Niger Delta region and a good percentage of our army of unemployed youths will be employed. We count on your support for patronage in the days, months and years ahead.
“In addition to being the 2014 NOG indigenous Company Award recipient, Fenog Nigeria Limited is on the sure roadmap of being included in the world’s Guinness Book of Records for installing a 67km by 20inch Amukpe to Escravos pipeline, using Fenog’s pioneered, Continuous Horizontal Directional Drilling (CHDD) method, which is the longest and most secured string of pipeline in the world.”
He, however, called on the Petroleum Minister, NNPC Chief, NCDMB and NAPIMS, to prevail on Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to award his firm the Trans Niger Pipeline Loopline (TNPL) project since huge resources have been expended in acquiring these equipments.
The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Ernest Nwapa, commended Fenog for acquiring such equipment and promised the firm that the board would do all within its power to ensure that the Local Content Act is strictly adhered to by the oil companies.
He noted that it was good to have partnership with companies that are progressive and have the capacity to do some of the works done in the oil and gas industry, adding that investments such as the ones embarked upon by Fenog that grows the economy. “I also like the way Fenog grows partnership with other oil companies. This is another way of building capacity. We are in a situation whereby the country is faced with only two or three industries and our economy has been sustained by these industries. It is a good thing to have partnership with companies that are progressive and companies that have the capacity to do some of the works we are doing in the industry today. It is investment like this that grows the economy,” he said.
The Executive Director of Fenog, Mr. Mathew Tonlagha said: “We have invested heavily on capacity over the years, but with low patronage from the industry. It is the Federal Government that holds us now. We are commissioning our equipment and they are supposed to give us projects that they are supposed to be commissioned. This is the third time we are inviting them to come and commission our modern equipment, but we have not invited them to come and commission any project here. So it is a challenge to the Federal Government.”
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NCDMB, NNPC, others eye gas cylinder manufacturing
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has begun working with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Oando Group, Sahara Energy and other key players in the gas industry to promote local manufacture of gas cylinders.
At a meeting of stakeholders in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) also called cooking gas, convened by the NCDMB at its headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, an agreement was reached to set up a committee that will develop a strategy that will drive the manufacturing of cylinders, deepen utilisation of gas and address challenges that might hinder the plans.
The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Ernest Nwapa, stated at the meeting that President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is promoting manufacturing in all sectors of the economy, particularly in the oil and gas industry because of the potentialities of creating thousands of jobs, retaining spend in-country and developing technology.
Nwapa described gas cylinder manufacturing as a quick win, noting that local service companies now fabricate complex structures for the oil and gas industry and several companies invest millions of dollars in setting up facilities and acquiring assets even before securing contracts. “once key persons in leadership on the government and industry side agree on the framework, it will work. Today, investors have put down their funds on assets that depend on long term contracts. Gas cylinders are tied directly to a huge market; the opportunities are there, even across the Gulf of Guinea,” he added.
Nwapa confirmed that once local manufacturing of gas cylinders begin; the government would ban the importation of gas cylinders and insist that LPG producers like Nigeria LNG Limited and ExxonMobil deliver gas only to facilities that comply with extant policies. He noted that the push for local manufacturing of gas cylinder would be integrated into President Jonathan’s Gas Revolution agenda and complement government’s drive to get all Nigerians to adopt gas as the preferred fuel for cooking.
He suggested that NCDMB could use part of the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) to support companies that are committed to go into gas cylinder manufacturing and expressed hope that the Federal Government through the Bank of Industry, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Central Bank of Nigeria and the Board would work together to provide enablers for the scheme.
The Managing Consultant of PEJAD Nigeria Limited, Tony Ogbuigwe, stated that NCDMB’s gas cylinder manufacturing scheme was supported by Section 53 of the Nigerian Content Act, which prohibits the importation of welded steel products. He stated that only five per cent of the 26 million Nigerian families currently use LPG as their cooking fuel, though the NNPC, Oando, Sahara and other stakeholders were implementing several initiatives to grow consumption.
He said that about 2.5 million cylinders were estimated to be in the country and if 10 per cent of the 26 million families in Nigeria were to use gas, with each owning two cylinders, the demand for gas cylinders will grow to five million. “20 per cent using LPG will generate a demand for 10 million cylinders; 30 per cent using LPG will generate a demand for 20 million cylinders,” he said.
Ogbuigwe said that gas cylinders have a safe life of about five years saying “assuming that 30 per cent of the cylinders will become due for replacement each year, it implies a demand for manufacturing of three million cylinders per year, six gas cylinder manufacturing plants at 500,000 capacity each will be required.”
The Managing Director, NNPC Retail, Mr. Chris Osarumwense pledged the corporation’s commitment to promoting local manufacture of gas cylinders, noting that prospective local manufacturers of cylinders must be challenged to meet key safety standards set by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other certifying agencies.
He stated that gas usage must also be grown reasonably before it can support local manufacturing of gas cylinders on a cost-effective basis, suggesting that the price of gas and cylinders must be reduced significantly.
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‘Infrastructure deficit inhibits growth of gas sector’
Inadequate infrastructural facilities such as pipelines, pressure station, and Central Processing Unit (CPUs), hinder growth of the gas sector, the President, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association of Nigeria (LPGAN), Mr. Dayo Adesina, has said.
Others challenges, he said, include lack of gas stripping plants and effective regulatory mechanisms, among others.
Adesina said the problems are ineffective utilisation of gas, which makes it impossible for critical sectors of the economy to access the product for growth. He said the country is finding it difficult to take the gas to where it is needed, processed and used it to achieve the desired results. He lamented that Nigeria is flaring gas without considering its socio-economic implications.
He said: “The country is flaring millions of metric tonnes of gas daily, because there is no infrastructure in place to capture it for productive usage. And to take the gas to where it is needed, the government has done in that regard. Facilities such as Central Processing Units (CPUs), gas stripping plants, pressure stations and others are lacking in the country. What is considered a waste in the gas sector can be turnaround and useful in other sectors, if there are adequate infrastructural facilities in place.”
According to him, the gas that is being flared in the country can power the whole of Africa, if the right policies are in place.
Also, the Director -General, Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), Benjamin Dikki in an interview with The Nation, said that gas shortage has affected the operation of the power sector. Dikki said infrastructural deficit in the gas industry is having spillover effects in the power sector. “Instead of wasting gas by flaring it, we can channel it to the power sector. Due to gas shortage, the power sector cannot generate enough electricity. We are producing less than 6,000MW of electricity. We are hovering between 4,000MW to 5,000MW of electricity; when we are suppose to generate 10,000MW. We have been targetting 10,000MW for some time now and we are yet to achieve it.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and her counterpart in the Power Ministry, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and other relevant stakeholders had in Abuja, discussed how to make gas available to the power sector.
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NNPC takes delivery of 66,000 litres of stolen crude oil
Nigerian Navy yesterday handed over 66,000 litres of crude oil it recovered from suspected pipeline vandals to officials from the Lokoja, Kogi State, station of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
The Commander, NNS Lugard, Commodore Shuwa Mohammed commended NNPC for quick outcome from laboratory analysis of the stolen products.
The stolen products which were transferred and loaded at the NNS Lugard Naval base in Lokoja, were moved in two heavy duty trucks, to be decanted back into NNPC pipeline network.
The NNPC Station Chief in Lokoja, Mr. Idoko Ameh, who was on ground to accept the stolen product thanked the Navy for collaborating with the NNPC to “fight this evil of vandalism in our land”.
The emptied wooden (Cotonou) boat in which the stolen product was being transported was later towedaway from the water shore and set ablaze.
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N10b jet hire probe: Court refuses Diezani’s, NNPC’s bid to alter suit
Petroleum Minister Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday lost the bid to alter the case they filed challenging their invitation by the House of Representatives to probe the N10 billion jet hire.
The minister and NNPC had sought to amend their suit to include a prayer that the power conferred on the National Assembly in Section 88 did not extend to holding hearings on petitions against ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government or “carrying out oversight visits by relevant committees of the two chambers to the MDAs to conduct examination of their activities in relation to their nominal role, budget progress reports, among others”.
In a ruling yesterday, Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the prayer, if granted, would change the character of claims in the original suit before the court.
The judge granted their prayer to challenge the legality of a move by the House of Representatives to hold a public hearing on the minister’s alleged spending of N10 billion on a chartered jet.
Justice Mohammed said he granted the request because it was innocuous and did not change the character of the claims in the original originating summons filed by the plaintiffs.
The judge held that since the plaintiffs’ request to amend was the first in the case, such amendment could not amount to an abuse of court process, as argued by the House of Representatives.
Justice Mohammed said it was left for the court to pronounce on whether or not the proposed investigative public hearing by the House of Representatives was not illegal, null and void for failure to comply with the requirement of Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) requiring that the resolutions of such public hearings or investigations be published in the prescribed manner.
Mrs Allison-Madueke and NNPC, in their originating summons, sought among others a “declaration that having regard to the provisions of sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and Section 8 of the Legislatives Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, Cap. L12, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010, the respondents or any of their committees are precluded from summoning the applicants to appear before them for the purpose of giving evidence and or producing any papers, books, records or other documents which relate to the unpublished official records of the applicants without the consent of the President …first and obtained by the respondents or their committees.
“A declaration that having regard to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as altered, especially Sections 88 and 89 thereof, the respondents acted ultra vires their powers and functions by sending out invitations to the applicants and agencies under their control when such invitations are not for the purpose of enabling the Respondents make laws or correct any defect in existing laws.”
They urged the court to quash the invitation and declare that the House of Representatives lacked the powers to invite them when such invitations were not for the purpose of enabling the respondents make laws or correct any defect in existing laws.
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37 firms win Customer Service Award
37 firms were yesterday awarded the prestigious Nigeria Customer Service Excellence Award.
The award categories cut across 27 sectors of the economy including banking and finance, telecommunication, media, hospitality, transport, real estate, oil and gas and others.
Heritage Bank emerged the most supportive Customer Service Company while Access Bank and Etisalat won Best Customer Service Companies in banking and telecommunications.
Other winners at the event were Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company, VIP Express Tourism Limited, DHL, DANA Air, Daily Trust, KIA Motors, NNPC, Channels Television, Julius Berger, Lona and Halogen Security, among others.
The coordinator of NSCA, Dr. Aliyu Ilias, said the award was instituted to celebrate outstanding service excellence across all sectors in the country.