…As Afenifere, over Osun election, suspends Omisore for supporting APC***
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) says that the 22.06 billion dollars and N481.75 billion yet to be remitted by NNPC and others to the Federation Account are legacy issues from its audit reports for 1999 to 2015.
NEITI made the clarification in a statement signed by its Director of Communications and Advocacy, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
He said that the others stakeholders involved include the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and oil companies in the oil and Gas sector.
He said that the bulk of the outstanding amounts was from NLNG dividends from 2000 to 2015 and outstanding payments for the value of 12 Oil Mining Licenses (OMLs) divested to NPDC between 2011 and 2013.
“To say the non remittance happened under this administration or that the money went missing from the Federation Account is therefore totally incorrect and deliberately misleading.
“This clarification has become necessary based on the distortion and politicisation of the media reports of a conference hosted by NEITI in Abuja on Monday,’’ he said
Orji said that the focus of the conference was on how to ensure better implementation of NEITI’s audit recommendations, address the lingering issues in the extractive sector, and improve optimisation of Nigeria’s extractive endowments for the benefit of all Nigerians.
“The conference was not a fault-finding or political event.
“It was a solution-oriented gathering with good representation and useful contributions from government agencies (including NNPC, DPR, CBN, PPPRA etc), the private sector, civil society, academia, and the media,’’ he added.
He noted that information shared for discussion was not only historical, but also not new.
He further stated that there was no data shared and discussed at the conference that had not been made public over time, most notably in the NEITI Policy Brief on unremitted funds released in April 2017 and in the NEITI 2015 industry audit reports released in December 2017.
“Those who follow discussions on these issues closely would also be aware that various efforts have been made by different government institutions, including the Federation Allocation Accounts Committee (FAAC) and the National Economic Council (NEC) to ensure that NNPC and its subsidiaries address these legacy issues.
“It is noteworthy that at the conference yesterday, the NNPC team confirmed that many of the issues under reference have either been resolved or at advanced stages of resolution.
“ While NEITI awaits the outcome of its ongoing audits for 2016 and 2017 to provide update on these and other issues, it is wrong to deliberately distort data from NEITI’s audits and the issues arising from them for sensational or political purposes,’’ Orji said.
He appeal to the media and the civil society as key partners in the NEITI process to always cross-check to ensure that facts align with the issues before publication.
In the meantime, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Tuesday, announced the suspension of the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore for one year.
Omisore was alleged to have aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the rerun election in Ife South and North Local Government Areas of Osun State.
His action was said to have gone against the position of his party, the Social Democratic Party and the Afenifere.
Omisore’s suspension was part of the decisions taken at the monthly meeting of the Afenifere, held at the residence of its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and read by a chieftain of the group, Chief Korede Duyile, the group said Omisore allegedly went against the position of Afenifere during the last governorship election in Osun State.
The group had earlier decided not to support the All Progressives Congress at the Osun governorship and the forthcoming general elections.
Afenifere said in the communique, ” The meeting took a decision to suspend Senator Iyiola Omisore for one year for violating Afenifere’s directive which affected the outcome of Osun election.”
Meanwhile, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on Tuesday said he was not aware of the purported suspension order placed on him by the Pan Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Afenifere.
Omisore said his resolve to form an alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) few days to the conduct of a rerun exercise of September 27 was the outcome of the resolution passed by his party, the SDP.
Apparently reacting to the one year suspension slammed on him by the Afenifere in a press release personally signed by him and made available to Tribune Online in Osogbo, he stated “It was the Osun Social Democratic Party (SDP) that passed a resolution for a coalition agreement with the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is the party’s supremacy in decision making.”
Omisore said, “the Afenifere’s action is at variance to the reality on the ground as far as the party politics in Osun State is concerned.”
He said, “I’m unaware of the pan-Yoruba group’s directives because we also have bonafide, notable and active APC members in Afenifere.”
“The interest of Osun SDP was the development of the state, and of the two parties involved in the rerun election, it was the APC that agreed to implement the SDP’s manifestos, the reason the decision was made.
“In as much as I’m a member of Afenifere, SDP members in Osun State are not necessarily members of Afenifere. Osun politics is local and I acted in consonance with the position and the will of Osun SDP.
“However, I’m yet to be informed on the so-called Afenifere’s suspension, which as far as I’m concerned bypassed the principle of fair hearing.”
The Citizen
