The House of Representatives special ad hoc Committee on Petroleum Products Subsidy Regime from 2017 to 2021 on Wednesday expressed anger over the absence of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, the Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, Mele Kyari, and others at its investigative hearing.
The house had on June 30 resolved to investigate subsidy payment from 2017 to 2021. Speaking on Wednesday, Chairman of the committee, Arc Ibrahim Aliyu, said it was sad that the stakeholders invited to the hearing did not show up, with some of them sending representatives before the committee.
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The committee, therefore, directed that the minister overseeing the Ministry of Petroleum appeared in person before it on Wednesday next week with all necessary documents and data that would guide it in carrying out its assignment.
The committee also turned back representatives of some of the invited agencies and organisations, insisting the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of such agencies and organisations must appear in person.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, also decried the absence of stakeholders at the ongoing investigative hearing.
He said the quantum of money assumed to have been spent on subsidy during the period under review amounted to over N4.9tn, noting that the matter needed to be given the needed attention by all the stakeholders.
He said, “On behalf of the members of the House of Representatives, I’m expressing my displeasure by the attitude of stakeholders in the oil and gas industry that are supposed to be here. Nobody has any excuse not to be here, that shows lack of respect for constituted authority and I think we are not going to take it.”
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