Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) yesterday summoned the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, to appear before it to explain controversy over collection of weight and measures charges from International Oil Companies (IOCs).
The committee issued the summons at an investigative hearing on alleged non-implementation of the Federal Government policy on legal metrology services in the upstream sector.
Also summoned to appear before the committee is the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba Ladan.
Similarly, the committee directed the Director, Weight and Measures, in the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ibrahim Abubakar Musa, to make available to it detailed records of revenue that accrued to the ministry from IOCs from 2014 till date.
On the other hand, the IOCs are also expected to produce comprehensive records of oil lifting between 2014 and 2018.
Chairman of the committee, Victor Nwokolo, had observed that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Trade and Investment charge separate levies and provide similar services on weight and measures of oil exports.
Nwokolo said the IOCs were right to have complained about the double payment.
According to him, “looking at this matter, without bias, there is no cohesion in government. You are disengaging some service providers and engaging others. It is good for you to defend your job but you should also do it is good conscience.”