Drama in Senate as advert – hoc committee members on oil theft disown report 

A gentle drama ensued on the ground of the Senate Wednesday when members of Advert – hoc committee on Oil theft, disowned report offered by the Chairman , Senator Akpan Bassey for consideration and adoption.

The Senate had on April 14, 2022 ,  constituted a 13 – member Advert – Hoc Committee on Oil Lifting , Theft and the influence on Petroleum Manufacturing and Oil Revenues beneath the Chairmanship of Senator Akpan Bassey who by the way , is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum ( Upstream) .

Seven months after the task , the committee offered its report for Senate’s consideration and adoption in plenary on Wednesday however bumped into hassle waters with disowning of it by a few of its members .

First to make commentary on non – signing of the report was the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo – Agege, who presided by saying solely six out of 13 members signed the report offered to him.

Omo – Agege ‘s commentary triggered open confessions by some  members of the committee who outrightly disowned the report.

Particularly, Senator Sani Musa ( APC Niger East ) , brazenly informed the Senate that the six signatures hooked up to the report had been taken from attendance listing taken on the first sitting of the Committee in April .

“Mr President and Distinguished Colleagues, solely three and never six members of the committee signed the report .

“As a member , I attended the primary assembly together with 5 different Senators whose signatures had been hooked up to the report .

“After the primary assembly , I used to be not invited for every other assembly and I didn’t attend any , making this report earlier than us at this time, a really unusual one to me”, he mentioned .

Additionally disowning the report , one other member of the Committee , Senator Kashim Shettima ( APC Borno Central) , mentioned as a member of the committee, he was by no means invited for any assembly and can’t say something on the report being offered to the Senate for consideration and approval .

Irked by the submissions, the Deputy Senate President known as Senator George Sekibo as a member of the committee to provide the best way out of the issue .

Sekibo accordingly instructed that the report needs to be withdrawn for consensus amongst committee members between now and Monday subsequent week for re – presentation on Tuesday in plenary .

Omo – Agege consequently put the suggestion to voice votes with majority of the Senators concurring to it.

Members of the committee as constituted in April had been Senators Akpan Bassey (Chairman), Yusuf A. Yusuf, Solomon Adeola, Kabiru Gaya, Mohammed Aliero, George Sekibo,  Gabriel Suswam,  Kashim Shettima,  Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Ali Ndume, Stella Oduah, Sani Musa and Ibrahim Gobir.

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