The National Assembly, Tuesday, took a swipe at oil companies operating in the Niger Delta for their refusal to pay N72 billion and $273 million debt owed Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
According to the National Assembly, efforts were made in the 8th National Assembly to ensure the prompt payment of money meant for the NDDC, just as it accused the oil companies of not disclosing their real budget saying that most of the firms tampered with their annual budgets.
Meanwhile, the Senate has resolved to carry out a full audit of NDDC, just as it welcomed plans by the Federal Government to carry out a forensic audit on NDDC.
Consequently, the National Assembly Joint Committee on Niger Delta Affairs has summoned 17 oil companies that are allegedly involved in this ugly act.
Speaking Tuesday, in Abuja during an interactive session with officials of the NDDC, Central Bank of Nigeria and Union Bank, Chairman of the NASS joint panel, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta North), who issued the summons warned that such acts will not be to tolerated.
He said that the oil firms have failed to remit the statutory three per cent of their annual budgets to the agency.
According to Nwaoboshi, the oil companies were expected to appear before the joint committee by next week Wednesday, adding that the companies were being invited to explain to the lawmakers why they were not obeying the law.
He explained that the last time calculation was done, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation, NPDC, owed N54 billion, Allied Oil owed $43 million while Pan Ocean owed $46 billion, however, revealed that the Federal Government owed the NDDC over N1trillion.
He said, “We have invited oil companies that are indebted to the NDDC to come and tell lawmakers why they would not obey the laws of the country. Some of them have confirmed that they owed the NDDC.”
Some of the oil companies involved are 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.
Others 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.
Nwaoboshi said, “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 the have confirmed that they owing NDDC,” he said.
Speaking on the directives from President Muhammadu Buhari to conduct a forensic audit of NDDC, Nwaoboshi who stated that the committee has also resolved to do full audit of NDDC, noted, “We welcome forensic audit of NDDC. The 8th Senate did technical audit and our findings is very appalling, we are going to our own full investigation. We have resolved to do full audit of NDDC.”
