…Warns against flouting the directive
BY Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee Investigating the Structure and Accountability of the Joint Venture (JV) Business and Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) of NNPC from 1990 to date has directed the oil companies who are yet to make their submissions to do so latest next week.
The Chairman of the Probe Panel, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata made this known following the resolution of the committee that the oil companies and other organizations should submit the required documents while their chief executive officers should appear next week during its sitting.
The Acting Managing Director of Belema Oil Ltd, Collins Amadi and representatives of Enageed Resources Ltd appeared before the probe panel on Wednesday but the lawmakers frowned at their inability to provide the needed documents. They were directrd to provide the documents before/on Tuesday 20th December 2022 while their CEOs should appear before the committee on Wednesday 21st December, 2022.
Hon. Fulata noted that the committee is operating within the time given to it and they are trying as much as possible to be fair to all the oil companies and other organizations despite obvious cases of tax evasion and flagrant disregard to Nigerian laws.
The probe panel in the course of its investigation had accused the oil companies of evading tax in collaboration with Federal Inland Revenue Service.
The investigative committee had summoned the Chairman of FIRS, Muhammad Mamman Nami several times with the last one being a subpoena or letter of summon served on him by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Yahaya Danzaria. But Nami has refused to honour the invitation .
Sundiata Post recalls that the lawmakers had threatenied to issue an arrest warrant on him to enable the Inspector General of Police arrest and bring him before the probe panel in line with the power vested on them by 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
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