Akpabio’s Daughter Got ‘Unmerited Juicy Position’ In NNPC Under Kyari — Oshiomhole

Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has defended his controversial remarks during the Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) investigative hearing into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), insisting that he never described the oil company as a “house of thieves” while alleging that Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s daughter was appointed to a lucrative position in the company without following due process.

Speaking in an interview with Seun Okinbaloye’s Podcast, MIC On, aired online on Sunday, the Edo North Senator responded to the Senate’s decision to distance itself from comments he made during the committee hearing and to nullify a warrant of arrest issued against former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Mele Kyari.

“My response to the former chief financial controller of the NNPC, whose tenure the investigation covers, who pointedly said to the Senate directly that it is you people,” he said.

“And now I know the Senate President said his daughter was taken by Mele Kyari and put in, as Nigerians would say, a juicy position that she probably didn’t merit,” Oshiomhole stated.

According to him, his criticism was directed at what he described as widespread nepotism within the oil company.

“So the Senator in a generalised manner said, ‘You Senators bring your children,’ and I said, ‘You guys have turned the NNPC into a traditional institution where the son inherits the father’s throne.’

“All the last leaders of the NNPC have all employed their children, their uncles, their cousins, their in-laws into various aspects of NNPC and put them in different positions.

“If they carry out the payroll of NNPC, you will find out that they’ve almost turned the top level into family business,” he alleged.

Oshiomhole argued that there was nothing inherently wrong with employing children of Senators provided they met the required qualifications and were recruited through established procedures.

“I said specifically, are the children of Senators not Nigerians? You can only make an issue if you employed them to positions they are not qualified for and you didn’t follow the right procedure,” he said.

“Somebody told me that that Senate President’s daughter was taken without any regular interview but that is his own problem. That is not the reason why I will be there and somebody will accuse me,” he added.

The Senator maintained that his comments had been distorted and stressed that he never accused either the NNPCL or its officials of theft.

“The way I responded, I didn’t say you are a thief, I didn’t say the Senate said the NNPC is a house of thieves,” he said.

“So how can the Senate disown what they did not say? That is not their resolution. I spoke as a person and if somebody thinks I have injured his reputation, there are legal positions.”

Oshiomhole also referenced previous statements made by Akpabio regarding the powers of Senate committees, particularly on the issue of compelling appearances before investigative panels.

“This same Senate President is on record and these records are everywhere, where he advised us that when the committee is sitting the chairman exercises the right of the Senate President.

“We have the right to issue bench warrant and the goodness is that somebody commented that, based on the 1999 Constitution, the Senate President can decline to exercise these powers and it will be up to him,” he said.

His comments came days after the Senate adopted a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele formally distancing the upper chamber from Oshiomhole’s remarks about the NNPCL and declaring that they did not represent the official position of the Senate.

The Senate also voided a warrant of arrest issued by the Senate Public Accounts Committee against former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, stressing that only the Senate President has the authority to authorise such warrants in matters relating to Senate proceedings and committees.