23 Oil coys importing crude without CAC registration, Reps allege

.Demand particulars of seized vessels from Navy.

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime from 2017-2021 has demanded a comprehensive list of all siezed vessels from the nation’s territorial waters by the Nigerian Navy NN

The Committee also requested for a detailed report of all the particulars of all vessels’ owners, the referral to the security agencies for prosecution and other information to aid the committee’s investigation.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon Almustapha Aliyu handed down the request to the Nigerian Navy during an investigative hearing on the matter in which the Navy, NNPC and Duke Oil were billed to make presentation on their receipt of subsidy payment.

According to the Chief of Naval Staff CNS Rear Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo  there are a good number of crude  oil laden vessels siezed on the nation’s waterways by the Nigerian Navy

The CNS who was represented by Commodore K.Emimo said that the Nigerian Navy had been doing vessels verification on oil lifting by vessels in the nation’s waterways.

He further revealed that the NN is not directly involved in crude oil lifting but instead is only working to assist the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC to achieve its mandate in oil lifting.

He had requested to be excused from the investigative hearing on the fuel subsidy regime in a correspondence address to the House Committee helsman saying that he is attending National Security Council meeting summoned by the President.

But the lawmkers who weren’t satisfied with these responses by the Naval authorities as many lawmakers said that the agency’s submission on the matter does not inspire confidence.

A member of the probe panel Hon. Benjamin Kalu (Abia, APC) asked the Naval officers whether the agency does not have verification modalities for vessels.

Other members of the Committee, Mark Gbillah from Benue and Cook Olododo from Kwara said that the submission by the Naval officers that they rely on the NNPC to check oil vessels is inexplicable.

Consequently, the Committee Chairman Hon Aliyu ruled that the Nigerian Navy should avail the committee all the particulars of all siezed vessels on the nation’s waterways as well as the list of all the relevant prosecuting agencies.

Moreover, he also listed some of the oil marketing companies which the presentation by the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC indicted as lifting crude oil from Nigerian waters without registration as Enadeb Consortium, Brittania-U, Mocol SA, Mecuria Energy, Transfigura, Vono Energy, West Africa Gas Ltd, Matrix Energy, Petrogas among other entities.