The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), for the second time on Tuesday, shunned summon by Senate’s ad-committee probing over N11 trillion spent on Turn Around Maintenance of refineries in the country between 2010 and 2023.
Absence of the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, whose entity is at the centre of the investigation stalled efforts by the Senate panel to make any meaningful progress on the matter at its sitting on Tuesday.
Chairman of the Senate probe panel, Senstor Isa Jibrin (APC Kogi East), however, re-summoned the NNPCL boss and other Chief Executive Officers of relevant government agencies to appear before it unfailingly on December 20, 2023 or face the wrath of the Senate.
“Non – appearance of Chief Executive of NNPCL and others from relevant government agencies today , made it second time of such action from them .
“Because of the importance of the assignment given us by the Senate , we are re – inviting them through the committee clerk to unfailingly appear before us on the 20th of this month.
“Failure to do so, would leave us with no other option than to apply the appropriate rule against them,” he said.
The Senate had on the 24th of last month, raised an ad hoc committee to investigate all the contracts awarded for the rehabilitation of all state-owned refineries said to have gulped N11.35tn in 13 years.
The Senate on the strength of a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC Kogi West) , also mandated the panel to interrogate the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and the Bureau of Public Enterprises on the best approach to commercialise state-owned refineries.
