Egina Probe: Senate Threatens NAPIMS Boss Over Non-appearance

• Egina Probe: Senate Threatens NAPIMS Boss Over Non-appearance

The Senate Committee on Local Content on Wednesday asked the Group General Manager of the National Petroleum Investment and Management Service, Mr. Roland Ewubare, to appear before it within 24 hours or a warrant of arrest would be issued against him.

At the sitting of the committee, which is probing the variations of the cost of the $16bn Egina deep-sea oil project, the Chairman, Senator Solomon Adeola, alleged that it was becoming a tradition in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries to treat invitations to officials by the National Assembly with levity, while giving excuses for their non-appearance.

Adeola stated that the Senate panel would henceforth not deal with junior officials sent by heads of government bodies to represent them, according to a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Kayode Odunaro.

NAPIMS had sent three general managers as its representatives before the committee three weeks ago when the Group General Manager was invited to explain the submissions made by Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, which is handling the Egina project.

The Vice Chairman of the committee and Minority Leader of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, stated that it was insulting not only to the Constitution but also the office of the group general manager for him to disregard the invitation by the Senate on issues relating to how Nigerians were being allegedly short-changed by foreign companies and their local collaborators.

Another member, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdulahi, said the lawmakers were angry that after the 21-day notice given to the GGM, he failed to appear before them.

The senator added that NAPIMS was in charge of a critical sector of the economy and should be ready to answer the call of the Senate in the lawmakers’ efforts to support the Federal Government in delivering the dividend of democracy to Nigerians.