The Presidency has directed the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to suspend its activities on the constitution of a committee to audit the account of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
This was contained in a letter addressed to the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and signed by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The new directive comes against the background of the lingering crises between the management of the NUPRC and its workers.
The letter read in part: “Your Constitution of a committee to audit the accounts of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has been referred to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation (HAGF) for review and determination of the constitutional, statutory and administrative implications.
“Therefore, the committee is hereby directed to suspend its activities pending the conclusion of the review by the HAGF,” the letter reads.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had earlier protested the alleged poor welfare and working conditions affecting staff in the commission and called for the removal of the commission’s chief executive, Gbenga Komolafe, over alleged financial mismanagement.
PENGASSAN had, in a letter dated 30 July, accused the commission of various infractions, including non-remittance of pension, non-conducive work environment, insufficient working tools, staff medicals, outstanding payment of 2023 upfront allowances, unpaid staff claims, unpaid staff on call allowance and non-payment of outsourced personnel.
But earlier in August, the NUPRC, in its reaction, said the allegations were made to disparage the integrity of the commission.
The commission said by law (the Petroleum Industry Act 2021) the powers of appointment, promotion and remuneration are vested in the board of the commission, while statutorily, the Federal Character Commission (FCC) regulates compliance with statutory procedure concerning recruitment into public establishments.
It explained that the recruitment generating controversies was done in compliance with all procedures and compliance certificates issued by the relevant organ. The NUPRC also claimed that allegations the management misappropriated N10 billion virement and donated billions to political parties were libellous and entirely unsubstantiated.
