Oshiomhole’s guts and the NNPCL accountability question

If robust representation at the National Assembly is the capacity to fiercely, intelligently and uncompromisingly enunciate, interrogate and defend the people’s mandate, then Adams Oshiomhole deserves his flowers.

Unarguably, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated Labour Union presidents, a two-time governor and a first-timer at the Senate, he displayed such guts and courage that brought tears of joy and hope to millions of Nigerians across party lines and beyond geopolitical affiliations.

Provoked during a sitting of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, the no-nonsense senator representing Edo North Senatorial District called the NNPCL a “house of thieves” in response to former NNPC Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya—standing in for the former GCEO, Mele Kyari—who suggested that Nigerians would do almost anything to work for the NNPCL.

Is such a scramble to work for Nigeria’s most opaque public sector agency borne out of patriotism, to push the frontiers of national development and prosperity, or is it a mad rush to grab a slice of the national cake—an open secret for decades?

While the NNPCL representative spoke almost persuasively about the allegation of N5.5 billion spent on the company’s registration and the N210 trillion discrepancy queried in the Auditor-General’s report, the hearing became confrontational when NNPCL officials allegedly suggested that senators were not the sole custodians of patriotism and made references to lawmakers recommending relatives for jobs. Was that intended as a subtle blackmail to caution committee members?

Read also: June 12: Oshiomhole hails Abiola as symbol of democratic resistance

Oshiomhole took offence at the comments, saying the Senate was being disrespected and denigrated.

Like millions of Nigerians, the erudite senator refused to be hoodwinked by what many considered lame explanations. He noted quite frankly that the devil is in the details, and that the managers of Nigeria’s most corruption-ridden and controversial institution must answer individually and collectively.

Oshiomhole’s anger was palpable, and his disgust aptly approximated the frustrations of Nigerians who have watched helplessly over the decades as billions of naira were endlessly sunk into turnaround maintenance for the nation’s refineries that have remained largely non-functional, while overhead costs continued to pile up irredeemably.

The height of the scam and shenanigans in the NNPCL was when the entire country was made to believe that the Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries had been fixed. They were commissioned with fanfare, operated briefly, and then packed up. Sadly, some critical stakeholders were recruited into what many now see as the broad daylight robbery of our national patrimony by endorsing claims that the refineries were fit and ready to transform Nigeria’s downstream sector.

It was touted as the beginning of the end of PMS importation. Nigerians were told the country would save billions of dollars in foreign exchange. We were promised a new dawn.

But an entire country was scammed.

Oshiomhole’s outburst will not be the first from a National Assembly committee, but the difference here is that it came from a believable medium—a man not known for playing to the gallery and whose words are often his bond. His interventions on the floor are largely devoid of theatrics, and his arguments usually draw from a rich reservoir of knowledge, competence and mastery of issues.

His guts may well be one of Nigeria’s long-awaited catalysts for pushing public institutions towards accountability and responsibility.

There was a similar outburst over issues at the South East Development Commission. But for keen observers of developments in the National Assembly, Nigerians are no longer losing sleep over shouting matches. We have seen more dramatic displays on the floor and little or nothing came out of them. Countless cases abound where heads of MDAs are dragged before committees, yet Nigerians are still waiting for the outcomes.

Expectedly, there was pushback from some members of the committee and the Senate in general. The following day, the full Senate distanced itself from some of Oshiomhole’s remarks.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion stating that Oshiomhole’s description of NNPCL officials as “criminals and thieves” did not represent the official position of the Senate. The Senate also clarified that committees cannot independently issue arrest warrants without proper authorization from the Senate leadership—a decision that had reportedly been unanimously adopted by the committee but was said to be at variance with Senate rules.

Several senators, including Orji Uzor Kalu and Adamu Aliero, criticised Oshiomhole’s language, arguing that such comments could damage Nigeria’s investment image and the reputation of the NNPCL. Technically, the work of the committee appears to have suffered a setback.

But Senator Oshiomhole has mounted a strong defence of his comments and actions, insisting they were provoked and done for the collective reputation of the Senate now taking him to the slaughter slab.

His position is not lost on Nigerians. It includes the demand that NNPCL must fully account for the funds queried by the Auditor-General; that former NNPCL executives, including Mele Kyari, must appear before the Senate committee; that the petroleum company has suffered a severe credibility crisis arising from years of corruption allegations; and that legislative oversight should not be undermined by attacks on senators carrying out investigations.

Politically, this has become one of the most serious public confrontations between the Senate and the NNPCL since the company was commercialized under the Petroleum Industry Act, and it may shape future investigations into the management of Nigeria’s oil revenues.

Let the rules of the Senate prevail.

The former GCEO of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, must be given a fair hearing because he remains innocent until proven otherwise. And if the position of Mallam Ajiya stands true—that the figures were exaggerated or merely the figment of the imagination of those hostile to the former NNPCL boss—then those claims must also be dispassionately interrogated.

Nigerians are watching keenly and looking forward to having more Senator Adams Oshiomholes as the nation awaits a new crop of politicians in his mould in the next democratic dispensation.

We need senators with guts—senators willing to cross the lines in the interest of the people, irrespective of whose ox is gord and Senator Adams Oshiomhole matches the bill.

That is the true expression of the people’s mandate.