Reps summon Sylva, NNPC chief, others over state of refineries

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee probing the state of the country’s refineries on Thursday gave the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, a seven-day ultimatum to appear before the committee or risk the wrath of the law.

The Chairman of the committee, Ganiyu Abiodun, issued the ultimatum at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja.

The Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the General Managers of the refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna are also expected to appear before the committee.

Abiodun said the committee was forced to issue the ultimatum following failure of the officials to honour three previous invitations sent to them.

He said: “We are compelled to hold this press conference because of the continued refusal and flagrant disregard of the GMD of the NNPC, the minister of state for petroleum resources and the general managers of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to the invitations to appear before the committee.

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“We consider this continued refusal and negligence to appear before the committee as disrespect to the Leadership of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The committee is worried that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) had all been operating at gross losses since 2010 before they were finally shut down in 2019.

“This committee has the mandate of the house of representatives and the constitutional responsibility to demand accountability from those in positions of managing our resources.

“It is worrisome that the GMD of the NNPC, the minister of state for petroleum resources, and the general managers of Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries have refused three invitations to appear before the committee to account for the billions of dollars spent on the rehabilitation of the refineries over the years.

“As chairman of this honourable committee, I hereby summon the GMD of the NNPC, the mnister of state for petroleum resources and the general managers of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to appear before the committee on Thursday, April 28, 2022, to avoid legal, constitutional and parliamentary measures to be taken against them in order to compel them to appear.”

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