Senate probes N11.35tn refinery repairs, summons Kyari, others

The Senate has raised an ad hoc committee to investigate all the contracts awarded for the rehabilitation of all state-owned refineries said to have gulped N11.35tn in 13 years.

It also mandated the panel to interrogate the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and the Bureau of Public Enterprises on the best approach to commercialise state-owned refineries.

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary, named Senator Isah Jibrin Echocho as the chairman of the committee.

Other members are chairmen of the committees on Petroleum Resources (Downstream, Upstream and Gas), Finance, Appropriation, and Public Accounts.

The committee was given four weeks to submit its report.

The resolutions followed a motion by Senator Sunday Karimi during Tuesday’s plenary.

Nigeria’s four refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt had become moribund for years despite a series of repairs executed under various turnaround maintenance contracts that have gulped huge amounts.

Karimi, in his motion, expressed concern that the state-owned refineries had been a drain pipe of public finance, depriving the citizens of the benefits of being an oil-producing nation.

He said from 2010 to date, Nigeria had spent about N11.35tn, excluding other costs in foreign currencies, such as $592, 976, 050.00; £4, 877, 068.47 and €3, 455, 656.93, on the renovation of refineries, yet the refineries remained unproductive.

He said despite the moribund state of the four refineries, their operating costs between 2010 and 2020 is estimated at N4.8tn.

Senators, in their various contributions, said the country could not continue to spend money on an unproductive venture and urged the relevant authorities to ensure that those responsible for the state of the refineries were sanctioned.

In his contribution, Senator Adams Oshiomhole said, “The amount so far spent on the refineries can build brand new ones. Senators must take the issues with all seriousness it deserves.”

The Deputy Senate President stressed that “It is very important that a thorough investigation should be done to make sure that everything that we need to know is brought open to us. ”

“Who are those who are sabotaging the efforts of government? Anybody who has a hand, sabotaging the efforts of the government to bring these refineries into operation and those who have taken money that is meant to turn around these refineries must be brought to book. We must know them and decisive actions must be taken,” he said.