The House
of Representatives, Tuesday, mandated its Committee on Petroleum
Resources (Upstream), to carry out a full investigation into the sale
of Oil Mining Licence, OML 30, under alleged questionable
circumstances to a British oil exploring company.
The committee has three weeks to turn in its report.
The decision to probe the deal was the fall out of a motion raised by Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf (PDP, Kogi) under Matters of Urgent National Interest.
The motion was seconded by Hon. Sunday Adepoju, ACN Oyo state.
While
presenting the motion, Yusuf said: "Sometime in November 2012, OML 30
located in the western Niger Delta area was sold to Heritage , a company
managed by a British National.
"The sale of OML 30 did not factor in the right of Nigerians to know how their common wealth is managed.
"The sale of OML 30 to Heritage Oil, a company, whose chief executive's antecedent is allegedly unsavoury is highy disturbing.
"The
past activities of the British owner of Heritage Oil led to prolonged
militia operations and political instability in Angola and Equitorial
Guinea.
"Nigeria's involvement with a company owned by an
individual whose shadowy business ethics is recognised all over the
world will raise doubts about the country's quest for growth and
development. "
The lawmaker, representing Kabba/Bunu federal
constituency, expressed the fears that the chief executive of the oil
firm may throw up security threat in the Niger Delta when it eventually
begins business in Nigeria given his alleged mercenary antecedents.
Yusuf warned that this "will have adverse effect on Nigeria's revenue, economy, infrastructural and technical development. "
The
motion was not debated as Speaker, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who
presided at the session, ruled that "the motion was a straight one and
does not require further debate."
It was therefore referred to the Committee for further legislative duties
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