The Joint National Assembly Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission on Tuesday summoned 17 oil companies over failure to pay N72 billion and $273 million into the account of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Lawmakers agreed to summon oil companies after their meeting with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the NDDC in the Senate Wing of the National Assembly.
The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Peter Nwaboshi, who issued the summon to the oil companies, expressed dissatisfaction with failure of oil companies to pay money meant for NDDC.
Among the oil companies expected to appear before the Committee next week Wednesday are Enageed Resources Limited, New Cross Exploration and Production, Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited, Nigeria Petroleum Development Resources, Munipulo Petroleum Development Company, Prime Exploration and Production Company and Nigeria LNG Limited.
Other are Hebah Express Petroleum, Atlas Petroleum, Allied Energy, Frontier Oil, Seven Energy Limited, Belma Oil Producing Limited, AITECO Exploration and Production, Dubri Oil, Conoil Producing and Continental Oil and Gas.
Nwaboshi said the oil companies when they appear before the Committee will need to give explanations on why they are yet to pay the money meant for NDDC.
According to him: “We have invited all oil companies indebted to NDDC to come and tell lawmakers why they will not obey the law of the country.
“Some of them have confirmed that they owning NDDC.”
Nwaboshi also revealed that the money meant for NDDC was wrongly paid into a Nigeria Port Authority account, adding that the panel has mandated the CBN to pay the money wrongly credited into NPA account into NDDC’s account.
He also said that the Committee will also invite the Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, because the Federal Government is also indebted to the NDDC to the tune N1.4 trillion.
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