The National Assembly Joint Committee on Niger Delta Affairs has
summoned 17 oil companies to appear over a N72billion and
$273million indebtedness to the Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC).
The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi,
representing Delta North, gave the directive during an interactive
session with the management of the NDDC, Central Banks and Union
Bank in Abuja.
The oil companies include Shebah Express Petroleum, Atlas
Petroleum, Allied Energy, Frontier Oil, Seven Energy Limited, Belma
Oil Producing Limited, AITECO Exploration and Production, Dubri
Oil, Conoil Producing, Continental Oil and Gas.
Also invited are Enageed Resources Limited, New Cross
Exploration and Production, Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria
Limited, Nigeria Petroleum Development Resources, Munipulo
Petroleum Development Company, Prime Exploration and Production
Company and Nigeria LNG Limited.
Senator Nwaoboshi said the summon became necessary to know why
the companies have allegedly decided to break the law.
“We have invited all oil companies indebted to NDDC to come and
tell lawmakers why they will not obey the law of the country. Some
of them have confirmed that they are indebted to NDDC,” he
said.
He disclosed that while the Nigerian Petroleum Development
Company (NPDC) is indebted to the tune of N54billion as at when the
last calculation was done, Allied and Pan Ocean owe $43million and
$46million respectively.
He also disclosed that the Federal Government owed NDDC over
N1trillion.
Nwaoboshi, who expressed dissatisfaction with the failure of oil
companies to settle their indebtedness to NDDC, said that the 8th
Senate made efforts to ensure the prompt payment of money meant for
NDDC.
He accused the oil companies of not disclosing their real
budget, saying most of them tampered with their annual budget.
Speaking on the directives from President Muhammadu Buhari to
conduct a forensic audit of the NDDC, Nwaoboshi said the Committee
has also resolved to carry out a comprehensive probe of the
intervention agency.
Nwaoboshi said: “We welcome a forensic audit of the NDDC. The
Eight Senate did technical audit and our findings are very
appalling.
“We are going to do our own full investigation. We have resolved
to do full audit of the NDDC.”
He also said that the Committee discovered funds meant for the
NDDC were wrongly credited to the account of the Nigerian Ports
Authority (NPA).
He said the Committee has directed the CBN to retrieve the money
and credit it to the NDDC’s account.
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