The Senate through its committee on Gas has summoned the Managing Director of Nigerian Gas Marketing Company, Justin Ezeala, over gas sales, purchase agreements, pricing with various Companies and non-compliance with due process in the Auto Compressed Natural Gas Project with NIPCO Gas.
The committee chaired by Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe ( PDP Cross River North) specifically requested for the details of Gas sales and purchase agreements with Gas Companies.
Resolution to this effect was made by the committee, after a closed door session by all the members on Wednesday at the National Assembly.
The Committee also expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, Mele Kyari for preventing the National Assembly Committees from oversighting subsidiaries of NNPCL.
It further demanded Financial records on the Auto CNG Project with NiPCO, where NNPC Gas Marketing Limited has approved an Investment of N30bn.
The Senate had last week met with Kyari and requested that he provide the committee with important documents from the organization to allow for proper oversight.
The sitting thereafter fixed Wednesday, 11th November for the next meeting where NNPCL will submit proper documents.
The NNPC, however, refused to show up or send the required document.
Expressing his displeasure, senator Jarigbe said, “It is either we do our work as legislators or continue to panic. Because we would not be wasting our time leaving other things we are supposed to do and the MDAs would be making decisions for us.
“The NNPCL is carrying a posture as if it is 100 percent a private entity and they don’t have anything to do with the National Assembly and that is their posture and we need to correct this.
“Because that is not what is provided for in the Petroleum Industry Act, all the things provided for in the Act including our oversight have all been abandoned and do cherry-picking with whatever is convenient for them”.
The Committee, therefore, resolved to use “relevant provisions of the constitution to enforce the appearance of Ezeala, if he failed to honour its invitation again.”
