EXCLUSIVE: May 29 Handover: How NASS Members Are Using Outdated Probe Reports To Blackmail, Fleece CEOs Of Govt Agencies

…NNPC, Other Juicy Govt Agencies Major Target For Last Minute Probe

There are indications that some members of the National Assembly are hiding under their oversight functions at the committee level to blackmail heads of some agencies of government with outdated probe reports.

Sources with knowledge of the moves by some desperate members of the parliament confirmed the development to THE WHISTLER on Saturday night.

It was revealed that some of the lawmakers who lost out during the last general elections held on February 25 have started making last minute moves to blackmail some of the head of these government agencies with threat that if they don’t cooperate with them, some of the outdated audit reports that are pending would be dug out, repackaged as if they were fresh and forwarded to the incoming government for possible action.

It was stated that as soon as President Elect, Bola Tinubu takes over the helms of affairs on May 29, this year, some of these probe reports would be made available to him to deal with.

According to our source, the intention of some of these desperate lawmakers is to ensure that any government agency’s head that have been indicted in some of these previous audit reports would be made to part with some funds to be able to keep his job.

It was revealed that those who failed to do the bidding of some of these lawmakers would be portrayed in bad light when the incoming administration of Tinubu fully takes charge next month.

It was further gathered that one of the agencies being targeted is the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd.

Findings revealed that the NNPC Ltd had, in recent times come under series of attacks from some of these lawmakers through various allegations of financial impropriety.

For instance, there were claims last week that the NNPC Ltd paid the sum of N20bn to ghost consultants.

The bogus claims had made the House of Representatives to set up an ad-hoc committee last Thursday to probe the alleged diversion of N20bn by some members of staff of the NNPC.

Similarly, the Senate had last Wednesday also alleged that the NNPC Ltd kept poor records for its uplifting of crude Oil to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company.

It was alleged that the company lifted the crude oil without necessary details or breakdown of what was delivered to respective companies worth about $376, 655,589 (N102.6bn).

The indictment was a sequel to the 2016 Auditor-General for the Federation’s Report submitted and presented by Senator Mathew Uhroghide which was upheld by the Senate Chamber at the plenary session.

Some of the 35 other indicted agencies are the Office of Accountant General of the Federation, National Population Commission, National Agency for the Control of Aids, FCT Area Council Service Commission, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, etc.

But sources with knowledge of the move by the lawmakers said that on the issue of the N20bn paid to ghost consultants, the probe would amount to nothing because there is no way the NNPC could pay such bogus amount with the current reforms being implemented in the National Oil Company.

The source said, “The thing is that as a result of them (NNPC officials) not cooperating with the National Assembly as they are winding down, it has led to a whole lot of desperation from those who failed to return and by those who they refused to grease their palms.

“With the passage of the PIA and with NNPC being managed as a CAMA company, you don’t expect it to be business as usual and so some of them have resorted to puting heat on the NNPC through various kangaroo probes and investigations.

“The target is glaring. They said that they have proofs that N20bn was paid for consultancy but meanwhile, what the main report is saying is that N1bn was what was recorded for consultancy payment.

“It’s just all charade because it is blackmail and and act of extorting money from government agencies.”

Another source told THE WHISTLER that when lawmakers go beyond their mandate by prioritizing their personal interests over the public good, it raises questions, including whether such demands are reasonable, ethical, and in the interest of the public.

The source said that prior to the resolution of the House of Reps to investigate the matter, some lawmakers in the Green Chamber were alleged to have demanded financial benefits and other perks from the NNPCL management which were rejected.

It was further learnt that when their requests were denied, they resorted to threatening to use their oversight power to investigate the NNPCL in a bid to blackmail its management.

According to the source who doesn’t want to be mentioned, the lawmakers intend to start from a 2016 audit report of the NNPC and are threatening to push for the removal of the company’s head even though he assumed office in 2019.

“This is a clear abuse of power. Elected officials should be working for the public good, not their personal interests. It’s simply a betrayal of the trust that citizens have placed in them.

“The use of audit reports to blackmail officials is a dangerous trend that must be nipped in the bud. It is also a clear indication of the level of corruption that still exists in the Nigerian system.

“The NNPCL management’s refusal to give in to their bullying tactics resulted in this so-called plan to examine the company’s records,” said the source.

Such demands, according to the source, are not only unreasonable but also unethical, adding that the primary duty of government agencies is to serve the public, not to cater to the demands of individuals.

The source stressed that when members of the National Assembly make such demands, they are essentially abusing their power and undermining the trust of the people in elected representatives.

“If government agencies are forced to prioritize the demands of lawmakers, they will neglect their primary duties, which are to provide services to the public. They (the lawmakers) should refrain from making unreasonable demands and focus on their core mandate, which is to serve the people,” the official said.

The source urged the leadership of the National Assembly to investigate the matter and take appropriate action against any lawmaker found culpable as failing to hold them accountable would mean they endorse their actions.

The NNPC had while reacting to the probe panel assured that the investigation by the House of Representatives into the alleged payment of N20bn to ghost consultants will exonerate the National Oil Company.

Garba Deen Muhammad, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd said in a statement that the NNPC Ltd welcomes the House of Representatives Investigation into Alleged “Payment to Ghost Consultants”

He said that the process of engaging consultants whenever the need arises is clear and verifiable and such action follow global best practices.

According to him, “The NNPC Ltd has received with great relief, the resolution of the House of Representatives to investigate allegation of the payment of a huge sum of twenty billion naira to so-called “ghost consultants.”

“NNPC Ltd had earlier refuted this false and baseless allegation that was first published by an online platform without any iota of evidence.

“Under the current Board and Management, NNPC Ltd has instituted a culture of transparency that includes making its annual Audited Financial Statements (AFS) public.

“It is in this light that the NNPC Ltd welcomes the resolution of the House of Representatives to investigate this very outrageous allegation.

“NNPC Ltd is confident that the outcome of any investigation into the false allegation will vindicate the company, and put an end to all speculations concerning the matter.”

The NNPC Ltd also said that as a responsible corporate organization, it does not have or deal with ghost consultants.

On the claims of poor record-keeping for crude oil deliveries to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company worth $376, 655,589 (N102.6bn), stakeholders including the Civil Rghts advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), condemned the Senate for dusting an “old 2016 Auditor General report.”

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, knocked the Auditor General Office for failing to conduct timely and expeditious audit of government’s ministries, departments and agencies.

The group also commended the current leadership of the NNPC Limited and administration of Mele Kyari for committing to due process since he assumed office in July 2019.

HURIWA also said the Senate should stop being archaic in its oversight function, saying a 2016 report is not only antiquated but showed the slow pace of work by those in the National Assembly.

It said such archaic way in which the Senate discharges it’s duties allows allegedly corrupt officials to flee with state resources and auditing them about 10 years after corrupt deals.

HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “This 2016 report is an old audit because the current hierarchy led by Mele Kyari has clean records. At first, people reading the report would think the indictment is against the current hierarchy but on a close look, one will see that it is an old audit.

“We commend the current hierarchy for severally admitting to their disposition to follow due process and accountability. We also demand that audits must be done expeditiously and yearly because delaying the audits by the office of the auditor General, National Assembly or President is dangerous to the financial health of the country.”

Since he assumed office, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari has been pursuing his Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE) agenda, a five-step strategic roadmap for NNPC’s attainment of efficiency and global excellence.

Kyari, during the inauguration, had said pursuing TAPE was the only way to turn around the corporation and make it competitive.

Under the roadmap, the Transparency component of the agenda was aimed at maintaining positive image, share values of integrity and transparency to all stakeholders, while the Accountability segment of the campaign is to assure compliance with business ethics, policies, regulations and accountability to all stakeholders.

In terms of the two-prong item of Performance Excellence, Kyari had said the idea was to entrench a high level of efficiency anchored on efficient implementation of business processes which would also emplace an appropriate reward system for exceptional performance among the workforce

He was responsible for the Open Government Initiative that ushered in an era of transparency and accountability in the NNPC’s operations.

He has also kept his promise to the NNPC and Nigeria by increasing the nation’s oil reserves to over 40 billion barrels, from 37 billion barrels.

the NNPC Group which became a CAMA Company in 2021 following the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, grew its profit from N287bn in 2020 to N674bn in 2021 under Kyari’s leadership.

The N674bn profit posted by the NNPC Group in the 2021 financial period represents an increase of N387bn or 134.8 per cent when compared to the N287bn recorded in 2020.

The 2021 financial year made it the fourth consecutive years that the NNPC will be making its Audited Financial Statement public.

This was one of the innovations made by Kyari when he took over the helms of affairs of the National Oil Company.