President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday demanded to see "a comprehensive report" of the Nuhu Ribadu-led oil revenues committee which unearthed large-scale fraud in the petroleum industry.
Jonathan asked that the report be presented to him on Friday, his spokesman said, days after a leaked version showed that Nigeria lost about N4.6 trillion from cut-price deals struck between oil companies and government officials in the past 10 years.
It was not clear yesterday whether the report of the Petroleum Revenues Special Task Force will be presented to the President by Ribadu himself or by Petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke who set up the panel in February in the wake of the fuel subsidy protests.
Last week, Alison-Madueke said the leaked report was only a draft in which government would make an "input", but Reuters news agency claimed it was marked 'Final Report'.
It was not clear which version will get to the President on Friday—the leaked one or one in which government's input might have been added.
"In furtherance of the administration's commitment to transparency, probity, and accountability in the petroleum sector, President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that a comprehensive report of the (Ribadu committee) should be presented to him this week," Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said in a statement in Abuja yesterday.
"The committee which was set up in February 2012, was required to, among other tasks, determine and verify all petroleum upstream and downstream revenues (taxes and royalties, etc,) due and payable to the Federal Government of Nigeria, and to take all necessary steps to collect all debts due and owed; to obtain agreements and enforce payment terms by all oil industry operators.
"The presentation of the committee's report will take place on Friday, November 2, at 11 am, at the State House, Abuja."
FG stalling
A source close to the Ribadu committee told Daily Trust that a draft report was submitted to the Petroleum minister about two months ago with the understanding that she would study it, make input and return it to the committee for a final version to be produced.
But she never did so till date.
"The committee actually had a very tough time doing what it did, believing that everybody was sincere about the mission. I am aware that the report was submitted to the minister about two months ago so that she would make input and return it to the committee to make a final draft. But nothing was heard from the ministry. And it's unfortunate that the contents were let out of the bag prematurely," the source said.
Reuters news agency which leaked the report said that the committee produced a 146-page report covering the period 2002 to the present, providing new details on long history of corruption in the oil sector.
It said, among other things, that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) made N86.6 billion over the 10-year period by using overly generous exchange rates in its declarations to the government. There was no sign of the money.
The report also said that oil majors Shell, Total and Eni made bumper profits from cut-price gas, while petroleum ministers handed out licences at their own discretion. Hundreds of millions of dollars in signature bonuses on those deals were also missing, the report said. The oil companies declined to make specific comments because they have not seen the report.
No cover-up
Opposition Congress Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) on Sunday alleged attempts to cover up the report.
But Jonathan's Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, yesterday said there were no cover up efforts, and that President Jonathan's government should rather be commended for instituting the probe in the first place.
"(The) president has neither seen nor received any copy of the Ribadu committee report. Essentially, what appears to have been irregularly released prematurely to the media is a draft copy which still requires full assent of all members of the committee and clarifications and due process from the originating ministry before the official handing over to the Presidency," Okupe said in a statement.
"President Jonathan ordered the probe of the oil industry for the period of ten years (2002 - 2011) which also covers the tenure of his administration. No president in our history has gone this far and this explains why the rots in our system has (sic) persisted for so long.
"President Jonathan approved the appointment of a well-known corruption crusader, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who ran against him at the Presidential poll on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). It is also noteworthy that the secretary of the committee, Mr. Supo Sasore, was a former Attorney General of Lagos State under an ACN government.
"For the purpose of clarity, President Jonathan's resolve to fight against corruption and dig out all the rots in the system should not be misconstrued or politicized by the opposition as if it is his administration that is guilty of corruption, rather, he should be commended for taken the bold step that will ultimately sanitize the policy and the system."
Members of the Ribadu task force are former head of service of the federation Steve Oronsaye, Malam Abba Kyari, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, Ms. Benedicta Molokwu, Mr. Supo Sasore, Mr. Tony Idigbe, Mr. Anthony George-Ikoli, Dr. Omolara Akanji, Mr. Ituah Ighodalo, Mr. Bon Otti, Malam Samaila Zubairu, Mr. Ignatius Adegunle and Mr. Gerald Ilukwe.
Also on the committee are representatives of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, Federal Ministry of Finance, Attorney-General of the Federation/Minister of Justice, Accountant General of the Federation, Department of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC.
Daily Trust