Drama as senators disown oil theft report

Senate on Wednesday failed to consider the report its Adhoc Committee on Oil Lifting, Theft and the Impact on Petroleum Production and Oil Revenues some members disowned the report presented by the chairman, Senator Akpan Bassey (YPP Akwa Ibom North East)

The upper legislative chamber had on April 14, 2022, constituted a 13 – member adhoc committee under the chairmanship of Senator Bassey, who incidentally, is the chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream).

Seven months after the assignment, the committee presented its report for Senate’s consideration and adoption in plenary on Wednesday but ran into trouble waters with disowning of it by some of its members.

First to make observation on non – signing of the report was the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege who presided by saying only six out of 13 members signed the report presented to him.

Omo-Agege”s observation triggered open confessions by some members of the committee who outrightly disowned the report.

Specifically, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger East) , openly told the Senate that the six signatures attached to the report were taken from attendance list taken at the first sitting of the committee in April.

“Mr. President and Distinguished Colleagues, only three and not six members of the committee signed the report.

“As a member, I attended the first meeting along with five other senators whose signatures were attached to the report.

“After the first meeting, I was not invited for any other meeting and I did not attend any, making this report before us today, a very strange one to me,” he said.

Also disowning the report, another member of the Committee, Senator Kashim Shettima (APC Borno Central), said as a member of the committee, he was never invited for any meeting and cannot say anything on the report being presented to the Senate for consideration and approval.

Irked by the submissions, the Deputy Senate President called Senator George Sekibo as a member of the committee to give the way out of the problem.

Sekibo accordingly suggested that the report should be withdrawn for consensus among committee members between now and Monday next week for re – presentation on Tuesday in plenary.

Omo – Agege consequently put the suggestion to voice votes with majority of the Senators concurring to it.

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Members of the committee as constituted in April were Senators Akpan Bassey (chairman), Yusuf A. Yusuf, Solomon Adeola, Kabiru Gaya, Mohammed Aliero, George Sekibo, Gabriel Suswam, Kashim Shettima, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Ali Ndume, Stella Oduah, Sani Musa and Ibrahim Gobir.