Drama in Senate as ad hoc c’ttee members on oil theft disown report

THERE was mild drama yesterday in the Senate as members of Ad – hoc committee on Oil theft totally rejected report presented to the Senate at the hallowed Chamber.

The rejection of the report came seven months after the committee was saddled with the responsibility, but there was problem with members disowning of it,

Trouble started when chairman of the committee, Senator Akpan Bassey, YPP, Akwa Ibom North East, presented the report for consideration and subsequent adoption.

Recall that the Senate had on April 14, 2022 , constituted a 13-member Ad hoc Committee on Oil Lifting, Theft and the impact on Petroleum Production and Oil Revenues under the chairmanship of Senator Akpan Bassey, who incidentally is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum ( Upstream).

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

“After the first meeting , I was not invited for any other meeting and I did not attend any , making this report before us today, a very strange one to me.”

Also disowning the report , another member of the committee , Senator Kashim Shettima, APC Borno Central said that as a member of the committee, he was never invited for any meeting and cannot say anything on the report being presented to the Senate for consideration and approval .

Not happy with submissions , the Deputy Senate President called Senator George Sekibo as a member of the committee to give the way out of the problem .

Sekibo accordingly suggested that the report should be withdrawn for consensus among committee members between now and Monday next week for re – presentation on Tuesday in plenary .

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

Members of the committee as constituted in April were: 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.