•Senate backs scrapping of 400 federal agencies to save economyTrouble seems to be looming between the National Assembly and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited over powers of the federal parliament to summon the nation’s major oil firm following its new status as a limited liability company.
The GCEO did not appear but he was represented by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the oil company, Mr. Garbadeen Muhammed.The GCEO, according to the Chairman of the Senate panel, did not honour the summons because he thought that since the NNPCL was now a limited liability company and that it had no business appearing before the legislature.
He added that the law passed by the National Assembly only empowers the NNPCL to be a regulator and an active participant in the oil industry. “But the powers we have given you is your ability not to only be a regulator but to be an active participant in the industry. That is what we changed in your status.
“But the question and the fact remains that these are decisions and positions that I believe will be beyond you. And that is why we demand that the Group Managing Director of NNPC PLC appear before the National Assembly. “For all of these, we ask and demand of is not by proxy. To that end we demand that he appear in person. If you are the man that will now speak on his behalf, he must be seated with you. Please, I will allow you to go for now for him to return 10 am tomorrow.”
“This has to do with another country and it will be difficult to shift it forward. And then by the 18th of this month he will be in the President’s contingent to attend the United Nation’s General Assembly. Within this timeframe it will be a bit difficult for him to be here.”The NNPC boss however did not appear before the committee as requested by its chairman before it adjourned proceedings.
The imminent scrapping of low revenue generating MDAs by the federal government as stated by Adeola , came to the fore when the Director General of National Biosafety Management Agency , Dr. Rufus Ebegba made his presentation of low revenue generation by the agency to the committee .