Chartered Jets: Diezani, NNPC GMD Shun Reps’ Queries

The Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke has refused to provide the information on the controversial Challenger 850 aircraft to the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts.

Alison-Madueke was given one week, starting from March 26, to state the sources for aircraft purchase and the law enabling her to fly the chartered jets. However, as on Tuesday no response followed.

It would be recalled that the committee was authorized to probe the N10bn jet purchase. During the investigation two more chartered aircrafts used for the same purpose were discovered.

Three weeks after the probe started, little progress has been achieved on the assignment because the minister and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC Andrew Yakubu are yet to respond to enquiries by the committee.

Without any reaction from the officials involved, the committee "can really not make much progress", a source close to the body told Punch.

According to the source, who pleaded anonymity, the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) decided after a closed-door meeting to begin full-scale investigation of the chartering of aircraft for Alison-Madueke by the NNPC.

It was revealed that the investigation will not be limited to one case, because NNPC had consistently shunned its invitation on six different occasions since October last year.

Source: Legit.ng