The NNPC Probe

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has not ceased to amaze Nigerians with the can of worms opened by the Senate probe of government parastatals.

It is disheartening to note that such a parastatal, which should be above board considering its importance to the government and the people of the country, is itself enmeshed in so much corrupt practices and shady deals that have gone beyond description.

To show the level of the hide-and-seek the corporation and its officials play with the country, the Senators recently expressed shock when NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Austin Oniwon, could not account for the whereabouts of 65,000 barrels, out of an official allocation of 445,000 barrels per day, worth about N9.8 billion.

Oniwon had told the Senators that NNPC gets 445,000 of crude per day of which 90,000 per day and 80,000 were refined at the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries respectively.

He said 60,000 barrels per day of crude were sent to the refinery in Abidjan and imported back into Nigeria while 150,000 was swapped between Duke Oil, a subsidiary of NNPC and Trafigura a UK-based oil company.

But the management of the NNPC refuted the report that it is unable to account for the 65,000 barrels of crude oil. In an advertorial signed by Dr. Levi Ajuonoma, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, the Corporation stated that the press report about the missing 65,000 barrels of crude oil was a misrepresentation of the statement made by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Engr. Austen Oniwon, to the Senate Joint Committee organised Public Hearing on Subsidy Management and Process.

Ajuonoma added that at no time during his presentation did the GMD state or allude to the fact that 65,000 barrels of crude was missing or unaccounted for. We wonder who to believe: Ajuonoma or Oniwon.

The NNPC has also been accused of illegally operating several accounts and not making itself available for scrutiny. For many years, it is noteworthy that NNPC has not been audited and the government had turned a blind eye to its activities thereby fuelling speculation that the corporation is the drain-pipe of the country’s leaders.

As it is, we believe that the president should set up an independent panel of credible Nigerians to probe the finances of NNPC. The Senate, given its past records of compromises wth executive robbers in other government agencies and parastatals, cannot be trusted to do anything concrete beyond its blackmailing media show. Nigerians deserve to know what NNPC is hiding.