Senate on Tuesday called for the termination of all
transactions regarding the concession of Port Harcourt Refinery to AGIP and
OANDO.
Complaining that due process of Public Procurement was not
followed, he urged the Senate to find out the criteria used to select AGIP/ENI
and OANDO PLC to maintain and operate the Port Harcourt refinery as well as the
cost and the time-frame for the deal.
The Nigerian government recently entered into agreement with
AGIP, a subsidiary of ENI, an Italian oil concern to construct a $15 billion
refinery in the Niger-Delta; a deal which also includes investment from AGIP.
The agreement according to the Minister of State for
Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu was part of plans to increase local production and end
an era of fuel importation.
“This arrangement would have been wonderful because it would mean an end to importation of refined products by the year 2020, but many questions are begging for answers, such as ‘ is it AGIP/ENI or OANDO Plc that is taking over Port Harcourt refinery?’
"Was there the observance of the privatization law as regards due diligence, selection from preferred bidders before ceding of the Port Harcourt Refinery to AGIP/OANDO?” he asked, imploring Senate to set up an Ad hoc committee to investigate the deal.
Speaking on the motion, Senator Dino Melaye representing
Kogi West, asked Senate President, Bukola Saraki to rise to the occasion and
avert what he described as ” another calamitous corruption,” about to be
hatched.
He said individuals who had milked the country in the past
want to continue to do so by stealing what is left of a common patrimony.
“They’re about to do to us what they did when electricity was fraudulently sold.
Mr. President, what happened to the concession of Lagos/Ibadan Expressway is about to happen.”
Mr. President, arise this morning in your valour and stop this massive corruption that is about to take place,” he said.
Senator Kabiru Gaya from Kano South supports Melaye’s
position, wondering how the process of signing the deal was started without
involving Bureau of Public Procurement {BPP} as required by law.
Senate sustains additional prayer from Senator Atai Aidoko,
asking it to stop all processes and transaction on the deal pending the outcome
of investigation by its probe panel.
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