The Senate went into a rowdy session on Thursday over the status of Anambra State as an oil producing area.
This followed a Point of Order moved by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes Chukwuka Utazi, who dismissed the claim by leader of a group of communities in oil producing states that Anambra had attained oil producing status.
He insisted that the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, on August 30, 2012, recognised Anambra erroneously as an oil producing state.
According to him, “As a result of that, it sparked off a lot of violent protests by people of Kogi and Enugu states who are part owners of this oil blocks – OPL 915, 916 and 917. And as a result of the violent protests from these two states, the Jonathan-led government called a meeting on October 31st, 2012, to resolve this issue”.
The senator further said Jonathan invited ex-Governors Peter Obi (Anambra), Idris Wada (Kogi) and the then Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Sunday Onyebuchi to the meeting.
“After looking at the issues concerning the ownership of these oil fields by the three states, they decided to withdraw the recognition they gave (to Anambra) and ordered the National Boundary Commission to wade into this issue, with a mandate to determine actually who owns what. Since then, NBC has been handling this matter,” Utazi said.
The lawmaker further recalled that himself and Stella Oduah (PDP, Anambra) had moved separate motions on the matter at the Senate, which were stood down to allow the commission to carry out the task.
Raising a counter Point of Order, Andy Uba (APC, Anambra), accused the Enugu lawmaker of lying.
He said, “If you recall, in 2013 I moved the motion for Anambra to be included in the oil-producing states. Then, the issue was that every state that wanted to become one must produce (at least) 120,000 barrels of oil (per day) before they would be included, and I know that Anambra has attained that. So, what my colleague is saying is not true. He is lying.”
While Uba was asked to withdraw the “lie” statement which he did, the lawmaker insisted, “What he presented was not the correct thing.”
Raising another point of order, Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi) claimed that the oil blocks belonged to Kogi State.
In his ruling, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream and report back in two weeks.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
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