MINISTER of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday, advised lawmakers in the National Assembly to devote their time in passage of bills into law, which would strengthen the institution of government for the betterment of the society rather than dissipating their energy on trivial issues.
Malami gave the advice when he appeared before the House ad hoc committee investigating the $17 billion undeclared crude exported to global destinations, on Tuesday.
According to Malami, it was disheartening that the executive arm of government had, since March last year, sent an executive bill on crime proceeds bill to the National Assembly for passage into law, which would assist in fighting the anti-corruption crusade, but that nothing had been done on the bill by the lawmakers.
Malami urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of two bills critical to the fight against corruption, namely: “Proceeds of Crime and Whistle Blower,” with dispatch, while stressing the need for synergy among the three arms of government.
He said it would be in the overall interest of the nation if the three arms of government could work in harmony rather than working in different directions with different agenda.
In his presentation before the committee, Malami confirmed that there were nine ongoing cases filed in Abuja and Lagos against some oil and gas companies, including Chevron, Total, Agip, Adax Petroleum and Brass Oil Services Limited, aimed at ensuring strategic recovery of stolen hydrocarbon and liquefied gas.
According to him, former President Goodluck Jonathan, through a letter dated November 29, 2013 through the office of the AGF, approved the request by NIMASA to enter into agreement with a forensic firm, Molecular Power System Limited, to execute the retainership agreement on the recovery of the stolen crude.
He, however, noted that the Federal Government had not commenced the determination whether to institute criminal charges against the affected companies or not.
He disclosed that the TSA and whistle blower policies had helped in blocking leakages within the system, adding that “those laws that add sense and meaning should be treated with dispatch so as not to allow impunity to reign in the system.”
Malami also urged the National Assembly to exercise its constitutional powers which had force of the law to compel any government officials to comply with its resolutions.
This came just as the committee directed Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to provide details of all the multiple accounts operated before the introduction of Treasury Single Account (TSA).
According to the committee, this was to enable it to ascertain and determine the actual amount accrued from the sale of crude oil and payments into Federation Account and level of compliance with extant financial regulations.
Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Honourable Abdulrazak Namdas, alongside with members expressed their concerns over the 47,366,887 barrels differential in the documents submitted to it by NNPC, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), NIMASA and Nigerian Navy on the lifted crude oil.
According to the documents submitted to the committee, 13 oil companies overlifted 7,423,266 barrels of crude in 2011 while 18 companies overlifted 20,367,803 barrels of crude in 2012.
In his remarks, Honourable Johnson Agbonayinman argued that the international oil companies could not be prosecuted in isolation of the government agencies, while he urged the AGF to ensure that government officials found culpable should be brought to book.
The commitee adjourned sitting till today for further hearing from other stakeholders.
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