Senate, on Thursday, threatened to invoke sanctions against managing directors of International Oil Companies (IOCs) in Nigeria for not honouring its invitation to an investigative hearing on diving operations in the oil and gas industry.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Teslim Folarin (APC, Oyo), issued the threat at an investigative hearing organised by the Committee on challenges experienced by diving operators in the sector.
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He said Senate had mandated the committee to conduct an investigative hearing over a motion on urgent need to ensure strict compliance with statutory regulations and provisions on Nigerian diving sector.
He said the committee had invited the managing directors of IOCs and Ministers of Labour, Employment and Productivity to appear before the committee to make presentations.
At the hearing, none of the Ministers of Labour and Managing Directors of IOCs were in attendance for the hearing.
However, representatives of the various managing directors of IOC s and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Labour Employment and Productivity were available to represent their principals.
Folarin, however, said the absence of the managing directors of IOCs was unacceptable to the committee and asked their representatives to excuse themselves from the hearing.
“What is surprising is that we invited the managing directors and that is the normal practice here in National Assembly.
“We will invite them again and if they don’t come, we will have to invoke our sanctions,” he said.
The managing directors of IOCs expected to make a physical appearance before the committee are that of ExxonMobil, Total, Chevron among others.
Folarin appealed to the operators in the diving sectors to be patient with the committee, noting that a new date would be slated to conduct the hearing.
He said the hearing was in the interest of Nigerians especially on local content development in oil and gas sector.
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