Reps summon oil firms, others over missing petroleum products

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BY Unknown Thursday, December 07, 2017 0

Reps summon oil firms, others over missing petroleum products

Reps summon oil firms, others over missing petroleum products

Abuja – The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on the Review of Pump Price of Petroleum Products has summoned the managing directors and chief executive officers of Carter Petroleum Limited and Energy Network IBG Limited.

House of Rep members

They are to appear at its sitting on Wednesday to explain the whereabouts of missing petroleum products traced to them.
The committee led by Rep. Raphael Igbokwe (Imo-PDP), on Thursday in Abuja, said everyone who was invited by the committee had a case to answer.
He urged those involved to show transparency and honesty in responding to the issues.
The lawmaker disclosed that the level of culpability of the oil firms flowing from available records before the committee showed that they were engaged in various forms of transactions.
He said that from the transactions, they were expected to pay some funds to government, which they did not.
The committee also observed that some oil companies gave fake office addresses which also called their credibility to question.
Prior to the summon, the committee which interfaced with some of the companies under probe, expressed displeasure at the habit exhibited by the CEOs in sending low level officers to its sessions.
For instance, one Lanre Alabi, who announced his appearance on behalf of Stars Energy Limited, told the committee that he received a text message to be at the hearing.
Similarly, Mrs Ifeoma Okoye of Dutch Masters Limited and Mr Adeola Adeleko of T-Time Petroleum said they also got the information via a text message and a phone call from somebody at the PPMC to appear.
In his remarks, the committee chairman directed that the companies should make available all records and certificates issued to them in all their transactions. (NAN)

National Assembly to hold public hearing on job creation, entrepreneurship

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BY Unknown Thursday, December 07, 2017 0

National Assembly to hold public hearing on job creation, entrepreneurship

Senate President Bukola Saraki has said that the National Assembly, will in the next few days, convoke a youth development and empowerment public hearing on job creation and entrepreneurship aimed at opening the legislative process for greater responsiveness to the needs and voices of the youths.

Sen. Saraki said this, on Thursday, at the Second Segun Adeleye Foundation For Good Leadership in Africa (SAFFGLIA) African Leadership Lecture with the theme ‘The Youth and the Challenge of Bridging Credible Leadership Gap in Africa’, held at The Centre of Excellence Hall at the Mass Communications Department of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

Represented by senator representing Lagos East, Gbenga Ashafa, the senate president noted that Nigeria’s greatest resource is not crude oil, which accounts for over ninety percent of the country’s revenue earnings but the human capital.

“Nigeria’s greatest resource is not crude oil, but the human capital of our burgeoning population whose hopes and desires are driven by the quest and aspirations of our youths. It is sobering therefore, that as a country, we do not seem to have sufficiently tapped into the promise of the younger generation . consequently, we have failed to unleash the enormous reserves of talentedvand leadership skills begging to be utilised.

“In Nigeria and across Africa, thrre is a yearning among the youths for more inclusion in governance, in economic activity and for a greater say in our collective future. The youth want to take the lead in prpoelling AFrican societies into a new age.

“In the eight National Assembly, our approach to leadership is to create the legislative framework for the the inclusion and greater participation of our youths. In the next few days I will be spearheading a youth development and empowerment programme in the senate, in collaboration with youth organisations, civil society organisations (CSOs) and other partners . it will be a special public hearing on youth, job creation and entrepreneurship, and it is intended to open up the legislative process for greater responsiveness to the needs and voices of the youths. By preparing the youths for leadership in this and many other ways , we are creating the space and helping to chart the direction for the next generation”, he said.

He said the future of Nigeria in a post oil economy depends on how well it develops the leadership qualities of the youth population.

“As we refocus strategies to move our country into a post oil economy, I see only opportunities everywhere. Our ability to make the transition will depend on how successful we are at developing the leadership qualities of our youths. I believe that working together we can make it happen”, Saraki said.

Speaking, the convener of the SAFFLIA lecture, Mr. Segun Adeleye said the entire citizens of the country, not just the leaders are responsible for rots in the system.

“Africa has lost yesterday and today while tomorrow is still left at the mercy of wishes. For Africa to ever have relevance at all in the future, the youths have to be deliberately pinched now to start having completely different understanding of themselves and the capacity required to transit to selflessness that is expected of any leader.

“It has to be a completely new understanding of the tragedy and unsustainability of the continuous measurement of our strength by our efforts and hard labour , and that our wealth as a nation and continent should no longer be measured by the volume of our oil reserves , gold deposit and foreign exchange reserves, but by the quality of the content of our thoughts.”

The chairman of the occasion, Prof Ralph Akinfeleye, said the youths must be responsible to lead. He berated the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who was supposed to be quest speaker , but neither attended nor sent a representative, describing his action of the governor was a disrespect to the youths.

He also berated the organiser for not keeping to time, which made some invited guests, including the representative of the British Ambassador leave in protest.

He, therefore, charged the organisers to write two letters, a letter of displeasure to the Ondo state governor for not to honouring the invitation and failing to send representation, and a second letter of appology to the British Ambassador for starting the lecture behind schedule.