In continuation of the mandate given it by President Goodluck Jonathan to probe the allocation of funds for the subsidisation of petroleum products in the country, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited all petroleum product marketers to reports at its headquarters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
The Eagle Online gathered that the EFCC extended the invitation, via writing, to the marketers last week, with most of them expected to report tomorrow.
It was gathered that the marketers were told to come along with all needed documents in respect of subsidy funds allocated to their firms.
Sources at the commission’s headquarters said a lot had been unearthed since the probe began.
Though the source will not mention specifics, he said that records obtained from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have been very helpful.
The source said: “The marketers will be coming in from Monday (tomorrow) to also say all they know about the subsidy funds.
“We need to check the records they have against what the records in PPPRA say.
“This way, we will know further what has gone wrong, if anything has gone wrong, and what has gone right, if anything has gone right.
“But we are determined to get to the bottom of this as quickly as we can.”
Jonathan had last Sunday, based on a request by the Minister for Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Dizeani Allison-Madueke, directed the EFCC to probe how the N1.3 Trillion spent on petroleum products subsidisation was spent.
Allison-Madueke, in a statement, said the decision to probe the disbursement of the subsidy fund was a fallout of the protest that came as a result of the removal of subsidy on petrol and the need to maintain transparency and accountability, which she described as policies of the Jonathan administration.
Allison-Madueke said: “With the presidential approval, I have written to invite the EFCC to immediately review all payments made in respect of subsidies on PMS and kerosene and to take all necessary steps to prosecute any incidence of malfeasance, fraud, over-invoicing and related illegalities in an open and transparent manner.”
In a letter to the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, dated January 12, 2012 and made available to newsmen, Allison-Madueke urged the anti-graft agency to “root out all forms of corruption and abuse within the subsidy regime.”
She added in the statement: “I have directed all officials of PPPRA and related agencies in the Ministry of Petroleum to make themselves available in the event of any interviews.
“I have set up a unit within my office to be headed by an independent auditor to review the KPMG and other audit reports on NNPC and other paratstals, and immediately begin implementation of their findings , ensuring at all times, full probity and value for money.”
However, the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress of Nigerian Political Parties have called for the suspension of Allison-Madueke from office to enable her investigation also by the EFCC.
According to both the ACN and the CNPP, since she was also involved in the process for the approval of the disbursement of the fund, she also needed be investigated.
In their estimation, Allison-Madueke cannot call for the probe of others when she herself should be part of those to be probed.