Oil & Energy
Oil Theft: Reps Committee Surmons NNPC, NIMASA, NIWA CEOs
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating crude oil theft has surmoned the appearance of the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC), the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Chairman of the probe panel, Rep Alhassab Rurum, who gave the ruling in Abuja, said the heads of the agencies must appear before the committee on Wednesday, September 11, and in person.
Rurum noted with dismay the situation where the heads of the agencies invited did not appear but sent their directors as representatives.
He stated that most of the invited CEOs wrote to the committee asking for permission to be represented by their subordinate as they were not disposed to appear in person and honour the committee’s invitation.
Rurum, however, said the committee had the powers to invite and cause appearance of any individual, government officials including corporate entity charged with the responsibility of administration of public funds.
The ad hoc committee chairman insisted that the invited CEOs of the agencies must come with a list of all other agencies working in export terminal of all the nation’s oil sector.
At the hearing, the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NUPRA) said pipelines and flow stations were the major targets of oil thieves.
They blamed faulty metering procedure, faulty instrument and lack of technology as impediments in the efforts of agencies of the Federal Government in tackling oil theft.