Senate To Investigate Actions Of NNPC Regarding Freight Of Petroleum Products

The Senate on Wednesday resolved to investigate the actions of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company in ensuring participation of indigenous companies in the freight of petroleum products, in line with the provisions of Presidential Executive Order 5(2018).

This was predicated upon a call by Senator Ramoni Mustapha seeking an investigation into the breach of Nigerian laws by foreign vessels in coastal shipping of petroleum products in the downstream sector of the Nigerian Maritime University.

Following a brief discussion on the matter, the Senate mandated the Committees on Local Content & Compliance to investigate the reasons for the dominance of foreign vessels above locally owned, manned and registered vessels in the domestic carriage of petroleum products within the coastal territory and inland waterways of Nigeria.

The Upper Chamber further resolved to investigate foreign ship owners of freight associated with downstream activities repatriated overseas by NNPC to the detriment of the local economy or patronage.

Also to be investigated is the flagrant abuse of the NOGICD Act 2010 and Cabotage Act 2003 respectively, by the operators and stakeholders in the Maritime Industry, through a ship-ship transfer with the coastal foreign vessel.

In its motion on Wednesday, the Senate mandated the Committees on Local Content and Petroleum Downstream to carry out an investigation with a view to unraveling the influx of foreign vessels in the coastal region and the level of patronage of Nigerian shipping companies.

Meanwhile, members of the Senate on Wednesday considered a motion on the ‘escalating rate’ of unemployment in the country.

The motion was sponsored during plenary by the immediate past Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

In their resolution, the lawmakers proffered solutions to the executive arm of the government for adoption and implementation.

One of these is for the Federal, State and Local Governments to declare emergency on the provision of employment across the country.

The senators also called on the Federal Ministry of National Planning to put the necessary mechanism and programmes in place to achieve this.