From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives, yesterday, summoned Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele and Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), over multi-billion dollar illicit financial flow from 2014.
They are expected to appear before the House Committees on Finance, Anti- Corruption, Financial Crimes, Banking and Currency and Insurance and Actuarial Matters, which has been mandated to probe revenue losses through illicit financial flows.
Others summoned in relation to the probe, include Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and related Offences Commission (ICPC), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit(NFIU) and Nigerian Export-Import Bank(NEXIM).
All the agencies are expected to address the lawmakers on “ the continuous loss of government revenues to illicit financial flows.”
This followed the adoption of a motion by Ochiglegor Idagbo on “ need to appraise Nigeria’s legal framework against illicit financial flows.”
Idagbo, in the motion, informed the House that according to Global Financial Integrity, 2014 report, Nigeria lost a minimum of $140 billion to illicit financial flows between 2000 and 2014.
Meanwhile, he House of Representatives Committees on Petroleum Upstream has threatened to summon President Muhammadu Buhari to appear before it over controversy trailing alleged reversal of some oil blocs.
Its chairman, Sarki Adar, issued the threat, yesterday, at an investigative hearing organised by the committee on controversies trailing the revocation and circumstances surrounding the reversal order on the Operating Licences of OML 123, 124, 126 and 137.
Adar, who was piqued by the absence of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the investigative hearing, gave the corporation a two-week ultimatum to appear.
He stated that if the NNPC failed to appear, the committee would have no choice than to summon President Buhari, who is the minister of petroleum.
Addax Petroleum Company Ltd and Santex Nig Ltd also did not appear before the pane.
