THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has tasked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) group chief executive officer, Mele Kyari, to provide information on the quantity of oil that Nigeria produces and exports on a daily basis.
It also requested that the NNPCL produce the total amount of revenue it has generated from oil since the removal of petrol subsidy in May, 2023.
This was contained in a freedom of information (FOI) request issued by SERAP on Saturday, December 9.
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The request was signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had alleged last week, that the NNPCL was failing to remit enough foreign exchange into the treasury despite the removal of fuel subsidy.
He questioned where the money was going.
In its request, the SERAP gave the NNPCL seven days to respond, failure of which it vowed to take necessary legal action to compel the national oil firm to do so in the public interest.
“According to our information, the NNPCL has failed to disclose the amounts of barrels of oil the country produces and exports.
“The NNPCL has also reportedly failed to publish details of revenues generated from the production and exportation of oil and the amounts of revenues remitted to the public treasury as required by Nigerian laws.
“According to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, ‘t is only the NNPCL that can give the figures about how much oil we produce daily, how much we sell, and where the money is going. We are no longer paying subsidies. Now, where are the dollars? Where is the money,?’ Part of the FoI read.
The request also highlighted that it was the responsibility of the NNPCL to uphold accountability and transparency regarding the quantity of oil that the nation produces and exports on a daily basis, while making sure that the proceeds from the activities are properly transferred to the public coffers.
The SERAP requested that the NNPCL provide information regarding the payment of N11 trillion in subsidies and address claims that the company has not sent oil earnings to the public treasury since the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The letter further stated that “SERAP is extremely worried about the years of allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the oil sector”, while adding that the impunity of perpetrators had undermined public trust and confidence in the NNPCL.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected]