The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the state of refineries in Nigeria has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Minister of State for Petroleum to appear before the committee or risk the wrath of the law.
The chairman of the committee, Ganiyu Abiodun, told reporters in Abuja on Thursday that the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and the General Managers of the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna were also to appear.
Abiodun said this followed their failure to honour three invitations earlier sent to them.
He said they should appear to avoid risking legal, constitutional and parliamentary actions.
“The committee is worried that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) had all been operating at gross losses since 2010 before they were finally shut down in 2019.
He said the committee was aware that the NNPC recently awarded contracts for rehabilitation of refineries in the following sums: WRPC 900 million dollars, PHRC 1.5 billion dollars and KRPC $1.3bn.
He said: “The committee specifically requested the GMD to provide the following; an appraisal of the current state of refineries in the Country: Port Harcourt Refining Company; Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited from year 2012 to date.
“Copies of annual budgets on rehabilitation by the refineries: PHRC, WRPC and KRPC from 2012 to date and a list of approvals/fund releases for rehabilitation of refineries from 2012 to date.
“List of all contracts awarded for rehabilitation of refineries and award letters issued to service providers and contractors and the Actual Cost of Projects (Contracts) and Review (if any) stated in Naira.
“Work Completion Certificates issued on rehabilitation projects carried out on refineries, evidence of payments made for all such contracts awarded from year 2012 to date.” (NAN)
