NNPC: Buhari awaits NEC’s probe report

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has yet to take a decision on the report of the forensic auditors, PriceWaterHouse, engaged by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan to investigate the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,

Jonathan had on February 2 received the report of the firm, which was last year hired to carry out the exercise following an allegation by former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, that $20billion was not remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC.

The former President, on April 27, directed that the full report be made public less than 24 hours after Buhari, who had emerged the President-elect promised that his administration would probe Sanusi’s claim.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, told our correspondent on Saturday that the present administration would wait for the outcome of the ongoing investigation initiated by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led National Economic Council.

The council, comprising all state governors, had during its first meeting on June 29 set up a four-man committee to scrutinise the account of the NNPC and the Excess Crude Account managed by the last administration.

Governors of Edo, Gombe, Kaduna and Akwa Ibom States were named members, while Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, was asked to join them at the NEC’s last meeting.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State had told reporters after a meeting of the committee during the week that two international firms would be hired to audit the corporation’s account.

Adesina said the President would rather wait for the Oshiomhole committee to turn in its report before a decision would be taken on the matter.

He said, “There is an ongoing investigation initiated by the NEC led by the Vice President.

“You will recall that Governor Oshiomhole made some pronouncements on the committee’s activities during the week.

“We will rather wait for that investigation to be concluded and the report turned in.”

The audit report as made public by the Jonathan administration noticed some discrepancies in the subsidy regime among other infractions.

The discrepancies included the duplication of Premium Motor Spirit and Dual Purpose Kerosene subsidy claims, subsidy computation errors, subsidy claim on un-incurred DPK cost and over-claim of subsidy.

The sums from the subsidy discrepancies were embedded in the $1.48billion that the report asked the NNPC to refund to the Federation Account.