Okonjo-Iweala
made the call at the Senate Committee on Finance hearing on the alleged missing
20 billion dollars.
The News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Deizani
Alison-Madueke, was also at the hearing.
Also at
the hearing were NNPC Group Managing Director, Mr Andrew Yakubu, and CBN
Governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi.
“Let us
now focus on the original 10. 8 billion dollars which was the shortfall we had
as at July 2013.
“Another
reconciliation meeting was held at which NNPC presented data of how they
utilised the balance of 10. 8 billion.
“This
includes amount withheld for subsidy 8. 76 billion dollars, holding cost of
strategic reserve 0. 4599 billion and pipeline crude oil and product losses of
0. 761 billion.
There was
also pipeline management at the cost of 0. 905 billion dollars,” she said.
According
to her, the data presented are all certified by Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
She said
the reconciliation committees called for backup documents to enable it verify
the certified papers.
“Our
judgment is that a proper examination of these documents requires technical
expertise beyond the capacity of the reconciliation team.
“Therefore,
we believe we should have an independent forensic audit to manage these submissions,”
she said
She said
that the 20 billion dollars alleged by the CBN as missing featured in the
original reconciliation effort in the cascade presented by NNPC.
She said
that the committee agreed that the issues surrounding the alleged fund was legal
and required careful legal interpretation.
Earlier,
the chairman of the committee, Ahmed Makarafi, had charged reconciliation group
to carry out the forensic audit and get back to the committee in one month.
He said
that the committee would reconvene on Feb. 20 to enable the Attorney General of
Federation to give a legal advice on the issue. (NAN)
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