Oscarline Onwuemenyi
16 February 2018, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The House of Representatives on Thursday announced that it has added six more weeks to enable the ad-hoc committee investigating the stolen $17 billion undeclared crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports sales.
The new timeline is to enable it to complete its work.
The committee led by the chairman of the House committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak Sa’ad, was given the mandate to carry out the assignment since September 22, 2017.
The decision to extend the time line for the committee was consequent upon a motion brought by the chairman; Hon. Namdas at ’yesterday’s plenary session
Presenting the motion, Namdas said the House was aware of the expansive nature of the assignments, which includes investigation of over twenty (20) International Oil Companies (IOCs), government agencies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), among others.
According to him, “Desirous of the need to do a thorough job on the assignments with a view to getting all the material facts surrounding the matter”, the committee had no option than to request for additional time to accomplish its work.
He explained that the ad-hoc committee has “diligently and faithfully conducted its investigations and is now at the point of analysing data and information generated”.
Namdas added that cognizant of the sensitive and technicalities of the task, which involves inputs from professionals in the industry and considering the expected time to complete this aspect of the assignment and mindful of the extant provision of Order Seventeen, Rule 3 (1)(g) of the Standing Orders of the House; the committee was demanding more time.
The committee’s request got express approval.
