The Senate Tuesday through its committee on Public Accounts , rejected records of volume of Petroleum importation presented to it by Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for 2022 and 2023 on account of wide disparities between them and those presented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
It consequently resolved to summon heads of NMDPRA , NNPC and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) for possible reconciliation of the records or final exposure of suspected fraud to have been carried out.
Wide disparities in records of NMDPRA and NNPC on volume of PMS imported by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2022 and 2023 , came to the fore when management of NMDPRA responded to queries leveled against it in the NEITI Audit report of 2021 to 2023 .
Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA (ACE) , Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar , represented by a Deputy Director , Uzoamaka Ugwu – Ojobe , had in responding to NEITI query, told the committee that NMDPRA records on volume of Petroleum importation were credible despite disparities with those of the NNPC.
“We stand by 3.29billion litres of PMS as volume imported in 2022 and 6.02billion litres as volume imported in 2023 against 6.27 billion litres recorded by NNPCL in 2022 and 3.88billion litres in 2023.
“The slight disparities are being looked into for possible reconciliation “, she said .
Irked by her submission, a member of tbe committee, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) , said disparities of over 50% are not slight but wide and very disturbing and suspicious.
“The disparities in records of PMS importation between NMDPRA and NNPC in 2022 and 2023 as stated in the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit report of 2021 to 2023 , are too wide to be described as slight or being looked into without the seriousness required”, he said.
Also miffed by the huge disparities in the records , Senator Dayo Faduyile (Ondo South) , said the disparities leave a lot of room for someone to think that something is amis.
Outrightly rejecting the NMDPRA’ s defence , Senator Anietan Bassey ( Akwa Ibom North East), said thorough investigation of the wide disparity must be carried out by the committee as according to him, Nigerians must not be allowed to be shortchanged on yearly basis as glaringly shown with the NMDPRA and NNPC records of PMS importation.
“Mr Chairman and very distinguished colleagues, these questionable records of volume of PMS importation by the two agencies , must be thoroughly investigated to safe Nigerians from being yearly shortchanged and expose those milking the country dry,” he said.
Consequently, the committee chaired by Senator Hassan Dankwabo (Gombe North) , rejected the NMDPRA defence and resolved to call for tripartite meeting of the agencies involved soonest .
“In view of the unacceptability of presentations made by representative of NMDPRA on queries raised against it in the NEITI Oil and Gas Audit report covering 2021 to 2023, specifically on volume of PMS imported within the years under review , this committee resolved to summon heads of NMDPRA, NNPC and NEITI for reasons behind the wide disparities,” he said.
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