Egboga denies disparaging lawmakers
From John-Abba Ogbodo and Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja
THE whiff of scandal around the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria got thicker yesterday with yet another allegation making the rounds.
The scandal this time is rooted in the Petroleum Industry Bill, which promoters, the Presidency, said was meant to engender radical reforms in the nation's cash cow - the oil industry.
It has been alleged that some senators have been conscripted by some oil firms into a grand scheme aimed at shooting down the petroleum bill.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Petroleum Matters, Dr. Emmanuel Egboga, who allegedly accused the Senate of plotting against the proposed law, has denied making disparaging statements against the lawmakers during his recent visit to United States of America (USA).
As part of the alleged plot, some senators reportedly travelled to Ghana to attend a meeting with some oil companies. This report of the Ghana trip was confirmed yesterday by Ayogu Eze, Chairman of Senate Committee on Information, who lamented that his colleagues, who went on the trip never informed the Senate leadership about it, an action which violated Rule 21 of the Senate Standing Order.
Senators, who allegedly made the Ghana trip, are Mohammed Kabir Jibril (Kaduna State); Nimi Barigha-Amange (Bayelsa); Mohammed Mohammed (Bauchi); Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa); Adamu Sidi Ali (FCT); Awaisu Kuta (Niger); Joseph Akaagerge (Benue); Eyinnaya Abaribe (Abia); Felix Kolawole Bajomo (Ogun); and Tawar Umbi Wada (Gombe).
The Senate has, however, ordered a full investigation into the matter by its Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions Committee, with a strong commitment to punishing any indicted senator.
Senator Thompson Sekibo (Rivers State) was at the centre of yesterday's dramatic session. Citing Senate Rules 14 and 18, Sekibo drew the attention of his colleagues to a statement credited to the Special Adviser to the President on Petroleum Matters, Emmanuel Egboga, that some oil companies had bribed certain lawmakers to kill the Petroleum Bill.
He said the senators fingered in the scam allegedly sealed the deal with the oil firms during a recent trip to Ghana.
Sekibo said the allegation amounted to a slur on his integrity as a senator, stressing that the image of the Senate as a whole had been disparaged by the presidential aide's comment.
He then urged the Upper Legislative Chamber to promptly set its investigative machinery in motion to unravel the truth or otherwise of the allegation.
Expectedly, Sekibo's motion generated a huge uproar from the senators. Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, who seconded the motion, said: "I saw the publication and I was utterly scandalised by what I saw because I am a member of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) and to the best of my knowledge, no oil company has spoken with me, no oil company has invited me anywhere to eat, drink or do anything. So, I was totally embarrassed and scandalised.
"I think what is happening, because there has been some persistence and consistence in the last few days, is that certain people somewhere are looking for scapegoats for their inability to do what they are supposed to do. Where I come from, we do not produce goat not to talk of scapegoat. So, I will not be available to be anybody's scapegoat or his excuse for not doing what he is supposed to do.
"Mr. President, I think that this Senate must give the Special Adviser to the President the opportunity to either clarify what he meant or substantiate his allegation because it is a matter that touches on our integrity as an institution. And as a member of this hallowed chamber. I don't own a bank. I only own my integrity and I guide it very jealously. The Special Adviser to the President must be given the opportunity to substantiate those very grave allegations or clarify his position."
In his contribution to the motion, Senate President David Mark declared that the Senate was fed up with "consistent messages of blackmail from aides of Mr. President."
A visibly disturbed Mark said: "They cannot just blackmail us and get away with it the way they want to do things. Now we have consistent bad reputation, consistently emanating from the same group of federal assistants to Mr. President in one form or the other."
He charged the Senator Umaru Hambagda-led Ethics committee to get to the root of the saga, stressing that nobody should be spared in the probe.
His words:: "This should be done in public glare. Everybody involved must be called publicly; let them state exactly what they know. As far as I know, the Petroleum Reform Industry Bill is not ready since the minister said they are not prepared to speak on it before us because they are still going through it.
"It is very unfortunate and very unfair for anybody to wake up and begin to accuse the National Assembly of delaying it. We are as anxious as every Nigerian to pass that bill. What is happening now is very unfortunate."
Briefing reporters after yesterday's session, Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Ayogu Eze, said the Senate had confirmed that some senators actually travelled to Ghana to attend a meeting with some oil companies.
Eze lamented that the senators never informed the Senate leadership about the trip, an action he said violated Rule 21 of the Senate Standing Order.
His words: "I need to say clearly that we have found out unfortunately and regrettably that there was an attempt by some private sector organisations to lobby members of the National Assembly on the bill that is before us.
"We found out today that some members of the National Assembly did go to Ghana, and we are also not happy with the development because Section 21 of our standing rules specify categorically that before you can travel abroad for whatever reason you must write to the leadership of the Senate, stating the purpose, the duration of your stay and the address where you are going to stay. The committee or the individuals that are involved never wrote to the leadership, never informed us about the trip."
He added: "Our rule book makes provisions for in-house cleaning and good conduct by senators. It makes all the provisions for our practice to be done on top of the table. If anybody does anything under the table, that's his or her business. If you sneak out and go and answer somebody in Ghana or in Cameroun or wherever, when you come back and there is an issue arising from it, of course you face it.
"The allegation is that the senators are from the committees within the petroleum sector. We have the Down Stream Petroleum, the Upstream Petroleum committees and the committee on gas. These are the committees within the petroleum area."
Briefing the Senate about what he knew about the Ghana trip, Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream Sector), Lee Maeba, said: "About a month ago, I received a correspondence from the Organised Petroleum Trading Sector that they want to have an audience with some senators of relevant committees about the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill.
"I actually discussed with committee members that anybody who has chance to attend can attend because I did not see any ill motive in attending. I did not attend because I was not available but they went to Ghana. And when they returned from Ghana, I discussed with distinguished Senator Nimi Barigha-Amange who even lamented going on the trip because there were issues of estacode not paid to them and a lot of other issues and that they had to return a day before scheduled."
Egboga also said yesterday that there was nothing wrong in lobbying as alleged in the forum reportedly organised by oil companies in Nigeria for some senators
He was quoted by some national dailies as saying in Houston Texas, U.S. that members of the National Assembly have been compromised by oil companies to scuttle the Oil Sector Reform Bill now before the Legislature.
"I say unequivocally that I was not properly quoted. At no point in time did I try to denigrate members of the National Assembly, the international oil companies as well as the organised labour."
Egboga, who appeared before the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Up -Stream), which earlier summoned him, apologised to the members, saying he had high regards for the Legislature, especially in their efforts to speedily pass the oil sector bill. He insisted that he did not at any point contemplate denigrating the Legislature.
"I apologise profoundly to the committee members and the members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for the damage the publication has caused. I have absolute confidence in the lawmakers, in their legislative duties, especially their efforts in reforms being undertaken in the oil sector," he said.
