The recent controversy over management of huge sums of money by the state-owned company should not be allowed to fade, argues DAN D. KUNLE
The recent happenings in our Senate at Abuja between Sen. Adams Oshiomhole and the Senate leadership over the level of rot and decadency at NNPC Ltd. must not be allowed to fade away with the new wave of political tsunamis blowing across the land, plus the existential insecurity of our lives.
The controversy generated by Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s remarks during the Senate Public Accounts Committee proceedings has once again brought NNPC Ltd. under intense national scrutiny.
Unfortunately, as is often the case in Nigeria, public attention appears to have shifted from the substance of the allegations to the personalities involved. This should worry every patriotic Nigerian.
It is very cultural for Nigerians to momentarily forget the “off-the-mic saga.”
Yesterday’s scandal is quickly replaced by today’s crisis, while the fundamental issues remain unresolved.
As Sen. Adams Oshiomhole was deliberately thrown under the bus by some of his Senator colleagues, we can all clearly see the road to perdition for NNPC Ltd.
This road leads to ruination and bankruptcy, and ultimately to a major national economic failure.
The issue before us is not Senator Oshiomhole.
The issue before us is not even the Senate President.
The issue before us is whether Nigerians are prepared to confront the uncomfortable questions being raised about one of the most strategic institutions in our country.
My consciousness about this ugly cancer called NNPC has long proven that Nigeria will not likely survive the total failure of NNPC.
Not that our dear country will cease to exist, but our economy will become very anaemic.
Some may consider this an exaggeration.
It is not.
NNPC Ltd. remains at the heart of Nigeria’s economic architecture.
It is involved in crude oil production, gas development, petroleum product supply, government revenues, foreign exchange earnings, strategic energy security and investor confidence.
A weak NNPC Ltd. means weaker government revenues.
A weak NNPC Ltd. means reduced confidence in the Nigerian economy.
A weak NNPC Ltd. means fewer investments.
A weak NNPC Ltd. means greater poverty.
A weak NNPC Ltd. means a weaker Nigeria.
This is why every Nigerian should be concerned whenever serious allegations emerge regarding the management, governance and transparency of the company.
Let me firstly congratulate our Great Fearless Adams Oshiomhole for standing his ground.
Also for giving further ugly insights into the huge rot at NNPC. How can such an amount as N210 trillion not intimidate our Senators?
Even if only 10 per cent of that amount were eventually proven to represent leakages, inefficiencies, accounting irregularities or corruption, it would still amount to one of the greatest governance concerns in Nigeria’s modern history.
That alone should have compelled every Senator to demand deeper scrutiny.
That alone should have united our apex lawmakers around the pursuit of truth.
That alone should have strengthened the resolve of the National Assembly to carry out its constitutional oversight responsibilities without fear or favour.
Instead, Nigerians witnessed an unfortunate spectacle where attention appeared to shift towards distancing the institution from the comments of one Senator rather than aggressively pursuing the issues that gave rise to those comments.
This open show of ineptitude by our apex lawmakers is very sad.
It has further exposed our country to a level of moral decadence and pretences at the highest level.
What makes the matter even more disturbing is that this controversy is occurring several years after the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which was sold to Nigerians as the framework that would transform NNPC into a transparent, commercially driven and globally competitive energy company.
The PIA was supposed to mark a new beginning.
It was supposed to usher in a new culture of corporate governance.
It was supposed to improve accountability.
It was supposed to increase transparency.
It was supposed to reduce public suspicion.
Therefore, Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple question:
Has NNPC Ltd. truly changed, or have we merely changed the nameplate?
This is not a hostile question. It is a patriotic question.
For decades, Nigerians have listened to promises of reform.
We have witnessed restructuring exercises.
We have witnessed subsidy controversies.
We have witnessed refinery failures.
We have witnessed audit disputes.
We have witnessed endless debates about transparency and accountability.
Yet, after all these years, the same fundamental questions continue to resurface.
That should concern all of us.
Having followed the records of events in the last ten days at the Senate, let me now pose the following questions for our Senate and Nigerians:
• Is NNPC not owned by all Nigerians?
• Is NNPC not subject to probe and investigation?
• Is NNPC above the National Assembly?
• Is NNPC above public accountability?
• Is NNPC doing well in corporate governance and management?
• Is NNPC fully complying with the spirit and letters of the Petroleum Industry Act?
• Is NNPC operating in a manner consistent with global best practices?
These questions deserve answers. Clear answers. Transparent answers. Credible answers.
The greatest threat to NNPC Ltd. is not investigation.
The greatest threat to NNPC Ltd. is not Senate oversight.
The greatest threat to NNPC Ltd. is not public scrutiny.
The greatest threat to NNPC Ltd. is opacity.
History has repeatedly shown that institutions do not collapse suddenly.
They decay gradually. They decay when difficult questions are ignored.
They decay when warning signs are dismissed.
They decay when accountability becomes selective.
They decay when transparency becomes inconvenient.
They decay when public trust is taken for granted.
That is the road to perdition. The Senate leadership must understand that defending due process should never be interpreted as discouraging scrutiny.
Likewise, NNPC Ltd. must recognise that transparency is not a burden.
Transparency is a necessity.
Transparency builds confidence.
Transparency attracts investors.
Transparency protects institutions.
Transparency strengthens governance.
Transparency safeguards national assets.
Above all, transparency protects the future.
The issue before us today is therefore much bigger than Senator Adams Oshiomhole.
It is much bigger than Senate politics.
It is much bigger than personalities.
It is a struggle between transparency and opacity.
It is a struggle between accountability and impunity.
It is a struggle for the credibility of NNPC Ltd.
It is a struggle for the future of Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
And ultimately, it is a struggle for the economic future of our dear country.
This matter must not disappear with the next political tsunami.
Nigeria simply cannot afford that luxury.
Kunle writes from Abuja
