SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, (THEWILL) – The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Dr. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has been told to stop playing 2015 politics with the allegations of missing funds in the coffers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying the allegations have political undertones.
Specifically, the lawmaker was asked to stop blaming the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezanni Allison-Madueke, and NNPC for the revenue shortfall, which had impacted on the distributable income accruable to the three tiers of government in the country.
It would be recalled that Jibrin, had some few weeks ago, laid the blame for the shortfall on the doorsteps of the Minister who also supervises the NNPC.
But an oil and gas monitoring group, the Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change (NDIMRC), is calling the bluff of the lawmaker as it has positioned itself solidly behind the Minister.
Trouble started when NNPC said it generated $20.9 billion on behalf of the federation for the first seven-months of the year but the lawmaker called it a “ruse”, saying it took a barrage of criticisms before NNPC finally made an effort to come clean with the $20.9 billion for the first seven months of the year.
Jibrin, was to later blamed the Minister of Petroleum for the shortfall in the revenue accruing from oil and gas sector of the economy.
“The Federation was expected to earn N1.837 trillion (or N204.168 billion per month) from the sale of crude oil and gas marketed by the NNPC with the Petroleum Minister being supervisor in its board.
“It should be noted that this is after taking into consideration payments for Joint Venture cash calls (i.e cost of production) and petrol subsidy payments. However, only N1.516 trillion has been remitted to the government by the NNPC showing a shortfall of N320.654 billion for the period,” the lawmaker had alleged.
However, reacting to the allegations, NDIMRC, in a statement signed by its President, Nelly Emma; Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer, Mukoro Stanley, accused Jibrin of playing politics with his allegations .
“We strongly believe that the recent allegation by the House of Representatives Chairman on Finance against the Petroleum Minister has political undertone and it is all about 2015 and President Goodluck Jonathan .
“We want to restate it here that the Northern agenda of which Dr. Abdulmumin Jibrin is part of cannot stop the re-election bid of the President in 2015. The Petroleum Minister cannot be intimidated as we are strongly behind her,” the statement said.
Describing the Minister as transparent administrator, the group said if any blame should be apportioned, it should not be directed at the Minister who they said has performed creditably in her ministry.
NDIMRC wondered why Jibrin had not blamed Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, one time Petroleum Minister, who they alleged shared oil blocs to prominent individuals from the North, thus causing huge economy shortfall to the nation’s revenue as well as fuelling poverty in the Niger Delta region.
Besides, the group asked if Jibrin have being able to do something in favour of the South South people by way of legislation in the upper chambers.
“The Petroleum Minister is a committed patriot…she is serving her country to the best of her ability and we want to say that all is well with the level of accountability in the oil and gas sector.
“The recent allegation against the Minister by the House of Representatives chairman on Finance is all about 2015 and it is also aimed at bringing the hard earned reputation of the Petroleum Minister to public ridicule and this is unacceptable to our group and the entire people of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
“The commendable efforts of the Petroleum Minister since she came on board are very clear; her second name is accountability.
“The Minister has brought sanity into the oil and gas sector and she should be praised and not condemned as recently done by the House of Representatives chairman on Finance .
“The Minister should continue her good work; she is on a thankless national assignment. We are not in a hurry to forget how Dr. Rilwanu Lukman shared oil blocs to prominent individuals from the North when he was Petroleum Minister, thereby fuelling the poverty in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
“The time has come for the Minister to listen to the cries of our people by placing them in good positions in the oil and gas sector of the economy.
“The Minister should also ensure that our local contractors are given a fair deal by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country,” the group further said in its statement.
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