The Joint National Assembly Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has summoned 17 oil companies over alleged N72 billion and $273 million indebtedness to the commission.
The summon was issued by NASS joint committee chairman, Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi, during an interactive session with the officials of the NDDC, Central Bank of Nigeria and Union Bank, on Tuesday.
The 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 and 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.
He said the oil companies that are indebted to the commission were invited to explain to the legislatures why they disobeyed the law of the country.
“Some of them have confirmed that they owed the NDDC”, Nwaoboshi said.
He said, as of the time the last calculation was done, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Corporation owed N54bn, Allied oil owed $43m while Pan Ocean owed $46m.
He noted that the Federal government owed the NDDC over N1tn.
He bemoaned failure of the oil companies to pay the NDDC, saying that the Senate made efforts in the 8th National Assembly to ensure the prompt payment of money meant for the NDDC.
He also queried the oil companies for not disclosing their real budget, alleging that most of the firms tampered with their annual budgets.
Nwaoboshi also said that the committee had resolve to undertake full audit of the NDDC.
