Reps And Kachikwu On Collision Course Over Unbundling Of NNPC Into 30 Companies
THE House of Representatives, yesterday, condemned the planned unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as proposed by the Minister of State for Petroleum and Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, this week without following the constitutional process.
It said instead of embarking on an unconstitutional journey, the President should send an executive bill to the National Assembly as soon as possible if he had the intentions to unbundle NNPC or carry out fundamental restructuring or reforms in the oil and gas sector and not for the minister to usurp its functions.
The House, presided over by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, mandated the Committees on Petroleum Upstream, Petroleum Downstream, Gas and Local Content and Legislative Compliance to ensure that the Minister of State for Petroleum and GMD was prevented from usurping the functions of the National Assembly and desecrating the Constitution of Nigeria by not allowing him legislate for the National Assembly in the unbundling of NNPC.
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The resolutions of the House followed the motion sponsored by Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency of Cross River State (PDP) entitled, “Urgent need to investigate acts of procedural breach by the GMD of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.”
Jarigbe noted that the NNPC was established through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, CAP N123, laws of the Federation, 2004 and that as a creature of legislature, the NNPC Act or any part thereof could only be altered, changed or otherwise amended only by an Act of the National Assembly.
Jarigbe also told the House that the legislative powers of Nigeria was vested in the National Assembly with power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the federation or any part thereof, with respect to matters included in the executive legislative list.
