The House of Representatives said the current Minister of Petroleum Resources would be questioned on the controversial Refined Product Exchange Agreement contracts carried out by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiary, the Pipelines Product Marketing Company, between 2011 and 2015.
Also known as the SWAP deal, the Refined Product Exchange Agreement contracts involved the exchange of crude oil for refined petroleum products in which the corporation gave out part of its 445,000 barrels daily share of crude to trading companies.
The House Ad hoc Committee investigating the deal is said to have enough evidence already that crude worth over $24bn exchanged hands between the government bodies and some crude marketing firms, including Duke Oil and Tranfigura.
Mr. Zakari Mohammed, a lawmaker from Kwara State, under the All Progressives Congress is the head of the committee.
He told The PUNCH in Abuja that the minister would have to appear before the committee to speak on the role of his ministry in the deal.
Calling his attention to President Muhammadu Buhari doubling as the petroleum minister, Mohammed said that the President could delegate Ibe Kachukwu to appear before the committee.
He said it doesn’t matter to the committee whether Buhari or Kachikwu was not in office when the contracts were signed.
Mohammed added, “This is an investigation. The committee will invite the minister we know today. If the President cannot come, that is why there is a minister of state; Mr. President can delegate him.
“They should lead us to the minister (ex-ministers) who have the right information.”
Mohammed stated that the minister and the NNPC would be the last to testify before the panel, following which the committee would tidy up its report on the findings.
The committee on Thursday last week, called on the Chief Executive Officers of two firms, Ontario and Aiteo, to appear before it on Tuesday (today) unfailingly or risk arrest by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase.
The summons come at the disclosure by the PPMC that Ontario still had $98m worth of refined products to deliver to the country while Aiteo owed Nigeria $37m worth of products.
Mohammed had expressed displeasure last week over the absence of the two firms to appear before the committee.
He said, “After sending invitations to them and they have failed to turn up, the next step is to summon them.” his Minister of State, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to appear before the committee.
He added, “This is an investigation. The committee will invite the minister we know today. If the President cannot come, that is why there is a minister of state; Mr. President can delegate him.
“Let the minister come and tell the committee that he knows nothing about the transactions because he was not the minister at that time.
“They should lead us to the minister (ex-ministers) who have the right information.”
Mohammed stated that the minister and the NNPC would be the last to testify before the panel, following which the committee would tidy up its report on the findings.
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