Senate Halts Concessioning Of PH Refinery

The Senate, yesterday, called for the termination of all transactions regarding the concession of Port Harcourt Refinery to Agip and Oando.
The decision follows a motion from Senator Sabo Mohammed (Jigawa South) asking it to investigate how the deal was sealed.
Complaining that due process in line with the Public Procurement Act was not followed, he urged the Senate to find out the criteria used to select Agip/Eni and Oando Plc to maintain and operate the Port Harcourt Refinery as well as the cost and the time-frame for the deal.
The Federal Government recently entered into agreement with Agip, a subsidiary of Eni, an Italian oil concern, to construct a $15 billion refinery in the Niger-Delta; a deal which also includes investment from Agip.
The agreement according to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, was part of plans to increase local production and end an era of fuel importation.
“This arrangement would have been wonderful because it would mean an end to importation of refined products by the year 2020, but many questions are begging for answers, such as ‘ is it Agip/Eni or Oando Plc that is taking over Port Harcourt Refinery?’
“Was there the observance of the privisation law as regards due diligence, selection from preferred bidders before ceding of the Port Harcourt Refinery to Agip/Oando?” he asked, imploring Senate to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the deal.
Speaking on the motion, Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West, asked Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to rise to the occasion and avert what he described as “another calamitous corruption,” about to be hatched.
He said individuals who had milked the country in the past want to continue to do so by stealing what is left of a common patrimony.
“They’re about to do to us what they did when electricity was fraudulently sold.
Mr. President, what happened to the concession of Lagos/Ibadan Expressway is about to happen.”
Mr. President, arise this morning in your valour and stop this massive corruption that is about to take place,” he said.
Senator Kabiru Gaya from Kano South supported Melaye’s position, wondering how the process of signing the deal was started without involving Bureau of Public Procurement {BPP}as required by law.
Senate also sustained additional prayer from Senator Atai Aidoko, asking it to stop all processes and transaction on the deal pending the outcome of investigation by its probe panel.