The House of Representatives on Thursday accused the
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipreye Sylva and the Group
Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele
Kyari of sabotaging refineries investigation.
Chairman of the House adhoc committee investigating
rehabilitation of the refineries, Ganiyu Johnson, accused Kyari and the
minister of frustrating efforts by the parliament to unravel why Nigeria’s
refineries are not working despite billions of dollars spent on their
rehabilitation.
He spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, stressing
that the Minister, the Group Managing Director and Managing Director of Kaduna,
Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries have refused to appear before the committee
on three different occasions.
While summoning them to appear before the House on Thursday,
April 28, Johnson said if those concerned had nothing to hide from Nigerians,
they would have honoured the invitation from the parliament, adding that
failure on their part to honour the invitation is a sign of disrespect for the
National Assembly.
The Committee was constituted by the Speaker of the House in
January to investigate why the nation is still depending on the importation of
petroleum products and a huge amount of money spent on the rehabilitation of
the refineries.
He said the NNPC recently awarded contracts for the
rehabilitation of the refineries in Kaduna (1.3 billion dollars), Port Harcourt
(1.5 billion dollars) and Warri (900 million dollars).
The Committee Chairman said “You may all recall that the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila in January 2022
constituted this Committee to determine the actual cost of rehabilitating the
refineries and what is needed to bring them back to maximum refining capacity.
“The Committee was mandated to determine the true state of
the Refineries, ascertain the actual cost of rehabilitating the refineries and
what is needed for the refineries to function at maximum refining capacity.
“The Committee therefore relying on relevant laws and
pursuant to the provisions of sections 62, 88, and 89 of the Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), requested the GMD of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to forward a Status Report on
the Nation’s Refineries and the actual cost of rehabilitating the refineries
from 2012 to date.
“The Committee specifically requested the GMD to provide
relevant information and documents that will help in the investigations.
“We are compelled to make this Press Statement because of
the continued refusal and flagrant disregard of the GMD of the NNPC, the Hon.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the General Managers of Port
Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries to the invitations to appear before the
Committee.
“We consider this continued refusal and negligence to appear
before the Committee as disrespect to the Leadership of the National Assembly
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The Committee is worried that the Port Harcourt Refining
Company (PHRC), Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) and Kaduna
Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) had all been operating at gross
losses since 2010 before they were finally shut down in 2019.
“This Committee has the mandate of the House of
Representatives and the Constitutional responsibility to demand accountability
from those in positions of
managing our resources.
“It is worrisome that the GMD of the NNPC, the Hon. Minister
of State for Petroleum Resources and the General Managers of Port Harcourt,
Warri and Kaduna Refineries have refused on three invitations to appear before
the Committee to account for the Billions of Dollars spent on the
rehabilitation of the refineries over the years.
“The Committee is aware that the NNPC recently awarded
contracts for Rehabilitation of Refineries (WRPC $900 Million, PHRC $1.5
Billion and KRPC $1.3 Billion)
“As Chairman of this Honourable Committee, I hereby summon
the GMD of the NNPC, the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the
General Managers of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries to appear before
the Committee on Thursday 28 April, 2022 to avoid legal, constitutional and
parliamentary measures to be taken against them in order to compel them to
appear.
“As members of the National Assembly and Representatives of
the people, we have the constitutional duty to name and demand from those
responsible; the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, the GMD of
NNPC and the Operators of the Refineries to let us know the problems besetting
our refineries in order to proffer solutions for a sustainable future and for
the benefit of all Nigerians
“We represent the people and we own the people this
responsibility and until they appear, they are stalling our investigation.
Unless they have something to hide. Otherwise, by now, we should have made
progress. So this should be the last time we are calling on them to appear. Why
is the refinery not functioning if they do not have anything to hide.”
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