In a stern warning on Wednesday, the Senate raised the stakes in its probe of the Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) projects for Nigerian refineries, threatening to recommend the dismissal and potential imprisonment of Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and heads of other government agencies in the oil sector.
The Senate Ad-hoc Committee, tasked with investigating the TAM projects, revealed startling figures, asserting that a staggering N12 trillion had been spent without yielding tangible results. The committee disclosed records indicating expenditures of over $592 million, €4.8 million, and £3.4 million between 2010 and the present, yet none of the refineries had produced any oil.
During an interactive session with NNPCL management and other oil sector executives, the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of chief executive officers from agencies directly involved in TAM projects, including NNPCL, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and their subsidiaries.
Senator Isa Jibrin, Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, voiced concerns over the lack of cooperation, stating, “We sent them an invitation more than two weeks ago requesting for documents, and the documents have not been released after two weeks. So, we want the chief executives to be present.”
Senator Jibrin further highlighted the perplexing issue of operational expenses, questioning the expenditure of N4.8 trillion between 2010 and 2020 on refineries that remained non-operational. He emphasized the committee’s determination to seek refunds and the dismissal of all chief executives involved in the TAM projects, demanding transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
