I was fired for exposing N11bn petroleum products diversion –ex-NNPC Retail MD

Former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) Retail Limited, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, yesterday
said she was sacked for reporting the unauthorised diversion of N11
billion worth of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) belonging to the NNPC
by Capital Oil and Gas company, to security agencies.

Nnamdi-Ogbue likened her retirement as Head of NNPC Retail Ltd
in April to scenes from Nollywood films where security agencies
turn around to label the whistle-blower, the suspect in a
crime.

Mrs. Nnamdi-Ogbue, who gave testimony on the second day of the
investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on
Petroleum (Downstream) into the disappearance of N11 billion worth
of products belonging to NNPC, stated that she reported the
diversion of PMS kept in Capital Oil and Gas Lagos tank farm to the
Department of State Security Service (DSS) as well as the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She stated that response
from EFCC and DSS wasn’t satisfactory despite spirited efforts by
NNPC Retail under her leadership to get both agencies to ensure the
recovery of the products or payment for the products by the oil
company within seven days as stipulated in the Throughput Agreement
with Capital Oil and Gas.

According to her, the only response she got from the EFCC after
letters written to its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was when
operatives from the agency stormed her Abuja residence after she
had been compelled to resign by the leadership of NNPC, to conduct
a search, after which the officers left with documents relating to
NNPC Retail’s agreement with the oil firm.

Despite agreeing that she was issued a query immediately after
the diversion of the products was discovered, which she responded
to, she insisted that her retirement was a result of her daring to
report the disappearance of products to EFCC and DSS even when
Capital Oil and Gas has never denied diverting the products without
the permission of NNPC Retail Ltd.

The former NNPC Retail boss said she was warned by close
associates to resign to prevent being embarrassed out of office,
even as she accused the EFCC of leaking a story to an online medium
linking her to the Osborne Towers flat where $43 million stash was
discovered.

When asked by a member of the committee, Samuel Akintola, if
NNPC Retail had staff monitoring private depots where it stores
products and why the diversion wasn’t discovered on time,
Nnamdi-Ogbue said the agency had a “robust structure” up to the
level of General Manager Operations, NNPC Retail, with the duty of
monitoring products warehoused on its behalf.

Also in response to a question from another member, Betty
Apiafi, on if any other staff of NNPC Retail was sacked over the
matter, she said the then General Manager, Operations, the Manager,
Distributions and the Coordinator, Private Deports were also
relieved of their jobs.

After a mild drama over the failure to place him under oath
before he started his testimony, Managing Director of Capital Oil
and Gas, Ifeanyi Uba, upon taking the oath, stressed that his
company did not breech its contract with NNPC.

Ubah who expressed displeasure that he heard of the invitation
from the committee on social media, stressed that NNPC owed his
company about N16 billion.

He wondered why NNPC was only concerned about its claims that it
was owed N11 billion by Capital Oil and Gas, but was silent about
the amount it owed.

“While we called for reconciliation of these issues, NNPC
decided to present the issue to the public and other government
agencies and in the process, deliberately left important
information.

“NNPC, for example, claimed that we owe N11 billion but failed
to reveal that they owe us N16 billion with a key portion of the
debt spanning over two years,” Ubah said.

Earlier in his presentation, Executive Director, NNPC Retail,
Danjuma Dansure, reiterated that following the intervention of DSS,
Capital Oil and Gas made a partial payment of N2 billion in April
from N11.144 billion owed the agency for 84,891,730 litres priced
at N131.28 per litre.

He stated that negotiation was still ongoing over the
accumulated interest of N1,358,407,080 with regard to the
Throughput Agreement with Ubah’s company.

Former Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) Retail Limited, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, yesterday
said she was sacked for reporting the unauthorised diversion of N11
billion worth of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) belonging to the NNPC
by Capital Oil and Gas company, to security agencies.

Nnamdi-Ogbue likened her retirement as Head of NNPC Retail Ltd
in April to scenes from Nollywood films where security agencies
turn around to label the whistle-blower, the suspect in a
crime.

Mrs. Nnamdi-Ogbue, who gave testimony on the second day of the
investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on
Petroleum (Downstream) into the disappearance of N11 billion worth
of products belonging to NNPC, stated that she reported the
diversion of PMS kept in Capital Oil and Gas Lagos tank farm to the
Department of State Security Service (DSS) as well as the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She stated that response
from EFCC and DSS wasn’t satisfactory despite spirited efforts by
NNPC Retail under her leadership to get both agencies to ensure the
recovery of the products or payment for the products by the oil
company within seven days as stipulated in the Throughput Agreement
with Capital Oil and Gas.

According to her, the only response she got from the EFCC after
letters written to its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was when
operatives from the agency stormed her Abuja residence after she
had been compelled to resign by the leadership of NNPC, to conduct
a search, after which the officers left with documents relating to
NNPC Retail’s agreement with the oil firm.

Despite agreeing that she was issued a query immediately after
the diversion of the products was discovered, which she responded
to, she insisted that her retirement was a result of her daring to
report the disappearance of products to EFCC and DSS even when
Capital Oil and Gas has never denied diverting the products without
the permission of NNPC Retail Ltd.

The former NNPC Retail boss said she was warned by close
associates to resign to prevent being embarrassed out of office,
even as she accused the EFCC of leaking a story to an online medium
linking her to the Osborne Towers flat where $43 million stash was
discovered.

When asked by a member of the committee, Samuel Akintola, if
NNPC Retail had staff monitoring private depots where it stores
products and why the diversion wasn’t discovered on time,
Nnamdi-Ogbue said the agency had a “robust structure” up to the
level of General Manager Operations, NNPC Retail, with the duty of
monitoring products warehoused on its behalf.

Also in response to a question from another member, Betty
Apiafi, on if any other staff of NNPC Retail was sacked over the
matter, she said the then General Manager, Operations, the Manager,
Distributions and the Coordinator, Private Deports were also
relieved of their jobs.

After a mild drama over the failure to place him under oath
before he started his testimony, Managing Director of Capital Oil
and Gas, Ifeanyi Uba, upon taking the oath, stressed that his
company did not breech its contract with NNPC.

Ubah who expressed displeasure that he heard of the invitation
from the committee on social media, stressed that NNPC owed his
company about N16 billion.

He wondered why NNPC was only concerned about its claims that it
was owed N11 billion by Capital Oil and Gas, but was silent about
the amount it owed.

“While we called for reconciliation of these issues, NNPC
decided to present the issue to the public and other government
agencies and in the process, deliberately left important
information.

“NNPC, for example, claimed that we owe N11 billion but failed
to reveal that they owe us N16 billion with a key portion of the
debt spanning over two years,” Ubah said.

Earlier in his presentation, Executive Director, NNPC Retail,
Danjuma Dansure, reiterated that following the intervention of DSS,
Capital Oil and Gas made a partial payment of N2 billion in April
from N11.144 billion owed the agency for 84,891,730 litres priced
at N131.28 per litre.

He stated that negotiation was still ongoing over the
accumulated interest of N1,358,407,080 with regard to the
Throughput Agreement with Ubah’s company.