Reps To Investigate Crude Oil Swap Contracts

The House of Represen
tatives is to investigate alleged malpractices in the crude oil swap contracts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC).
This followed the adoption of a motion: Urgent Need for Forensic Investigation of the Contract known as Refined Product Exchange Agreement or Swap Contract moved by Rep. Michael Enyong (Akwa Ibom–PDP) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Enyong said it was to ensure that the extractive industries were transparently managed in accordance with global best practices and enhance Nigeria’s revenue/economic fortunes.
He added that the revenue of the country had plummeted due to leakages in the accounting system and mismanagement of the economy.
He explained that the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), in its 2011 and 2012 reports, asserted that there was revenue loss to the tune of eight billion dollars.
“This is owing to discrepancies between the value of the crude oil given out and the refined products delivered.’’
Enyong told his colleagues in the green chambers that in 2011, there was a shortfall of 500,075,32 litres of refined products by oil companies to the country.
“There is need to ensure transparency and accountability by the NNPC in the management of revenue accruing to the nation from crude oil’’, he said.
He said this became necessary in the prevailing circumstances where major buyer of Nigeria’s crude ýoil, the U.S, had discovered alternative sources.
Enyong said the concerns raised in the motion were in tandem with the anti- corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, the investigation is important because due diligence in the management of the country’s revenue will rekindle hope in Nigeria’s creditors about its fiscal capacity.