Pipeline probe: Appear next week or face arrest - Senate tells NNPC, IOCs

The Senate has summoned the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, along with oil and gas companies over the gas pipelines projects.

The lawmakers expressed disappointment with the management of companies over some attempts to frustrate the investigations about the project.

Senator Bassey Akpan said it is disrespectful for the companies to send representatives below the rank of managing director to attend such sensitive meeting. 

The Senate gave the NNPC and the IOCs five days ultimatum to appear and explain how far they have gone with the $1 billion gas pipeline project and at the expiration of the deadline, it would be forced to issue a warrant for their arrest. 

Members of the committee who were angry, however expressed disappointment with the management of NNPC as well as the management of Total Exploration and Production Company, NAPIMS, Texaco and Saipem for failing to attend the investigative hearing on the project by the committee. 

Senator Bassey Akpan said it was disrespectful for the companies to send representatives below the rank of Managing Director to attend such sensitive meeting, adding, 

“This is a deliberate attempt to frustrate the investigation. We frown at the attitude of these companies.” 

Other members of the committee, Senator Hope Uzodimma and Senator Barnabas Gemade equally expressed disappointment over attempts to frustrate the investigations, just as they called on members to issue the companies ultimatum failing which the committee should invoke the powers of the Senate to issue a warrant for the arrest to the recalcitrant companies. 

Senator Akpan who noted that the committee was compelled to adjourn the meeting because the companies failed to appear at the session, said that the committee has been investigating the astronomical cost of completing the two major gas pipeline projects by these companies. 

He said: “We have been on this investigation for a sometime now. Only recently, we embarked on an on-the-spot assessment of the pipeline projects and we have finished our investigations.” 

The chairman of the committee, Solomon Adeola, made this known in a statement by his media adviser, Kayode Odunaro, on Sunday, June 3, in Abuja. Adeola was quoted to have made the disclosure when he led members of his committee including two principal officers of the Senate on an inspection tour of the factory. 

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