The Senate summons the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to appear before the Committee on Local Content over an alleged $14.86 million fraud linked to investments in Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Ltd.
According to Mediaplusng.com, lawmakers give the NCDMB boss one week to submit full documents on all transactions tied to the alleged conspiracy and the suspected dishonest conversion of $14,859,257. The committee sets December 2 as the deadline for these documents.
This directive follows reports from the EFCC listing former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, as wanted in connection with the case. Information presented during the session shows that the funds represent capital allegedly injected by NCDMB into Atlantic Refinery for a proposed refinery project.
Mediaplusng.com reports that the Senate committee also resolves to summon several international oil companies (IOCs) over their failure to remit the mandatory one percent capacity-building fund, which supports local content development in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Committee Chairman, Sen. Joel Onowakpo-Thomas, criticizes the NCDMB Executive Secretary for failing to appear before the panel. Lawmakers describe his absence as “unacceptable” and an obstruction to proper oversight.
“We want to understand what happened and keep the committee fully informed. This is his first invitation, so we will give him another opportunity to appear and explain,” Onowakpo-Thomas says.
The Senate is expected to take additional action within two weeks as the investigation continues.
