ANEEJ Backs Proposed NASS Probe Of Oil And Gas Thieves

By Alltimepost.com

Benin City, Nigeria – Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has backed proposed plan by the National Assembly, to probe an alleged heist of crude and gas totaling over $17billion from 2011-2014.

The organization also hopes that the panel would comprise Nigerians of integrity.

ANEEJ Executive Director, Rev David Ugolor made this known in Benin recently following reports in the media that the National Assembly was already constituting a probe panel to look into instances of oil and gas theft in Nigeria between 2011 and 2014.

“ANEEJ is happy with the latest plan by the National Assembly to unravel whatever circumstances which may have led to theft of national resources to the extent that we are now in a recession.”

Ugolor noted that if proceeds from oil and gas were effectively managed, it would not have opened up room for as huge a heist of $17bn.

“Even though the timespan indicated by the lawmakers is a start, a probe from 2011-2014 barely can address the remote causes of the huge loss to Nigeria, and all the individuals behind the oil heist”, the Rev Ugolor said.

He expressed hope that those behind the stealing of our collective resources must be tracked, identified, brought to book and used as deterrents from future occurrences as this.

“ANEEJ is interested in the success of the probe to draw attention to the need to quickly pass the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, which seeks to regulate the oil and gas sectors and to check corruption and cases of fraud.

“What is important at this stage is to set up a concurrent template for the use of monies to be recovered from this probe,” he said.

If this can be done as quickly as possible, Ugolor continued, there will be no need for Nigeria to tinker with the idea of selling off its national assets like refineries.

He averred that the National Assembly probe of oil and gas accruals from 2011 to 2014 must be able to set the benchmark for the proper account of the number of crude oil Nigeria produces per day.

“The current practice wherein multinationals give unverifiable numbers of the barrels of crude from Nigeria is another form of heist and must be regulated as well”, the Rev Ugolor said.