Pressure on Tambuwal, Lawan to dilute report

By Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation 

Chairman of the Ad-hoc committee, Alhaji Farouk Lawan

N1.3 TRILLION FUEL SUBSIDY PROBE • Top presidency officials seek soft-landing for those indicted • Speaker: Let committee submit report before next step

Top Presidency officials are uncomfortable with the House of Representatives probe of the controversial N1.3trillion oil subsidy.

They fear the report of the probe could damage the government. As a result of this, machinery has been put in motion to limit any such damage, sources say.

The first step, is mounting of pressure on Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and the chairman of the Ad-hoc committee, Alhaji Farouk Lawan by Presidency officials to water down the committee’s report or dump it altogether in the "national interest".

The other is to give government officials that may be indicted in the report a soft landing.

It was learnt that certain top presidency officials and lobbyists acting on behalf of major stakeholders in the oil industry met separately with Lawan and told him why the report of the committee should be softened in order not to "embarrass some government officials."

They allegedly expressed concern over the likely backlash of the report from foreign investors in the oil sector.

Some of the lobbyists were even said to have subtly threatened that Farouk Lawan might not get the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State in 2015 should the panel report hurt the government.

It was however learnt that Lawan insisted on doing what is right in the interest of the country.

A reliable source, who spoke in strict confidence, said: "Ahead of the outcome of the report of Lawan’s committee, some government officials have been lobbying the panel to soften its report in the national interest. But none of them could define this interest.

"In fact, some of these officials pleaded against the release of a damning report that could have an adverse effect on the oil sector.

"Some expressed fears that the report could bring down the government of the day in the light of the exposé on some functionaries.

"At a point, some said the report could make or mar the 2015 governorship ambition of Lawan and they advised him to have a rethink because of his political future that he is so passionate about.

"But Lawan told one of the emissaries that he will prefer to put the nation above any other selfish interest.

"These lobbyists are however unrelenting in trying to influence the outcome of the report."

Investigation also confirmed that the same forces attempted to prevail on the Speaker of the House, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal to intervene by convincing the probe panel to ‘circumvent’ its report.

Another source said: "The Speaker asked the lobbyists to let the committee submit its report before the nation thinks of the next step.

"Tambuwal said he cannot prejudge the outcome of the panel."

Contacted, the chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed confirmed the pressure on the House to dump the report of the committee.

Mohammed said: "The House is under intense pressures from different quarters on the report. However the House is focused, it will not abandon the probe midway.

"We would be fair but whoever is indicted will be made known to the public. It is then left to the government to determine what to do with the report.

"Oil is Nigeria’s mainstay and anybody who is stealing this oil is committing a serious economic crime."The chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee looking into fuel subsidy regime, Senator Magnus Abe, recently released the list of the affected 38 companies.

The firms and the amount of money they received last year alone are: Oando Nigeria Plc, N228.506billion; Integrated Oil and Gas Plc, N30billion; MRS, 224.818 billion; A.A. Rano, N1.14 billion; A-Z Petroleum, N18.61 billion; A.S.B, N3.16 billion; Arcon Plc, N24.116 billion; African Petroleum, N104.58 billion; Aminu Resources, N2.3 billion; Capital Oil, N22.4 billion; Con Oil, N37.96 billion; Avante Guard, N1.14 billion; Avido, N3.64 billion; Boffas and Company, N3.67 billion; and Brilla Energy, N960.3 million.

Others are: D. Jones Petroleum, N14.86 billion; Downstream Energy, N789.648 million; Dosil Oil and Gas, N3.375 billion; Inco ray, N1.988 billion; Eternal, N5.574 billion; Folawiyo Energy, N113.32 billion; Frado International, N2.63 billion; First Deepwater Oil, N257.396 million; Heden Petrol, N693 million; Honeywell Petrol, N12.2 billion; AMP, N11.417 billion; Ascon, N5.271 billion; Channel Oil, N1.308 billion; Fort Oil, N8.582 billion; Enak Oil & Gas, N19.684 billion; Bovas & Co. Nig Ltd, N5.685billion; and Obat Oil N85billion.

Abe also named AP, N104.5billion; IPMAN Investment Limited, N10.9billion; ACON, N24.1billion; Atio Oil, N64.4billion; AMP, N11.4billion; and Emac Oil, N19.2billion.

In 2006, only MRS, Total and Oando were listed as beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy recognized by the Federal Government.

The three companies were said to have been listed as "major marketers."

But in 2007, AP and Mobil joined and were listed under the category of majors.

The same year, NIPCO was introduced and listed under the category of petrol depot owners.

A new category of "independents" included some marketers who had no depots.

AITEO Energy Resources and Triquest Energy were added in 2007, bringing the total to eight beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy.

The list of subsidy beneficiaries increased sharply in 2008 to 23, made up of six majors.

In 2008, Conoil joined, and NIPCO was joined by Capital Oil and Folawiyo Energy, under the category of depot owners.

The list of "independents" also increased from two in 2007 to 14 in 2008 as AITEO and Triquest were said to have been joined by Triquest Oil services, IMAD Oil & Gas, Integrated Oil and Gas, Rahamaniyya, AMG Petro Energy, Brittania, ACORN, A-Z Petroleum, SHIELD Petroleum and MAJOPE Investment Limited.

And in 2010, the beneficiaries of the subsidy payment under the category of major marketers remained six, the depot owners remained two, but the list of independent marketers went up to 28 with the inclusion of many relatively unknown companies

SOURCE: The Nation, 26 February 2012. http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/