Oil Swap Deal: PPMC frustrating investigation - Reps

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Refined Products Exchange Agreement/Crude Oil Swap, yesterday, said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; Crude Oil Department and Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, were frustrating its investigative enquiry into crude oil swap regime.

Chairman of the adhoc committee, Zakari Mohammed, APC, Kwara, said: “We are having difficulties with the NNPC, the Crude Oil division and the PPMC and you are all aware, pursuant to Sections 88 and 89, we have been empowered to expose corruption and at the same time be able to straighten the books.”

He, however, issued a Wednesday, November 18, 2015, noon, deadline to the defaulting agencies to comply with the committee’s directive and threatened to issue a subpoena to them to appear before the committee.

He said: “But as it appears, the NNPC is trying to subvert our investigation, we have written them a letter just like every other agency, those ones have responded, the NNPC hasn’t responded, the crude division and the PPMC and we even wrote a remainder, they only responded passively on Tuesday, saying they needed more time.

“By their own commission, by Wednesday it will elapse, but we want to make it abundantly clear that the 8th Assembly would insist on protecting the rights of Nigerians.”

Some of the documents requested by the committee include all documentation in respect of the contract deeds, award, transfer of crude, receipts of products and completion of contracts, annual reports from 2005 to date, Swiss Traders OPV in Nigeria Report, revenue losses if any, evaluation of the performance of the swap policy, and any other document that may assist the committee in its assignment.

He said:  “As a House, we want to expose these people who have taken monies that do not belong to them, cause them to return them to the coffers of government…we are talking of billions of naira

Oil Swap Deal: PPMC frustrating investigation - Reps