Oil Scam: Sack looms in NNPC, Petroleum Ministry

Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke

BY LEKAN AMUDA, ABUJA

The Difference has gathered that the federal government has ordered an immediate investigations into the starling revelation from a Swiss non-governmental advocacy organisation, the Berne Declaration over alleged fraudulent oil deals involving some Nigerian companies and top government shots in the oil sector.
It was learnt that the departments likely to come under intense scrutiny are the Crude Oil marketing department of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and the Petroleum Product Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
Others to be investigated are the owners of the companies mentioned in the damning report.
The Difference gathered that President Goodluck Jonathan has already sought explanation from Minister of petroleum resources, Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke demanding to know the true position on the alleged massive fraud and report back to him immediately.
The Difference recalls that a report released on Monday by a Swiss non-governmental advocacy organisation, the Berne Declaration, detailed how NNPC and oil marketers connive with Swiss oil dealers to defraud Nigeria of over $6.8billions from 2009-2011 through the sale of crude oil below the market value.
While describing the Nigerian oil scam as the greatest fraud Africa has ever known, the report explained that “the schemes employed by Nigerian and foreign fuel importers, includes creating offshore subsidiaries referred to as “letterbox companies”, ship-to-ship transfer to create untraceable paperwork, payment of subsidy money to phantom and non-existing importers, and partnering with politically exposed.
Accused in the alleged fraud are two of NNPC’s major trading partners: Geneva-based commodity trading firms, Vitol and Trafigura both registered in Bermuda.
On their part, MRS Group, Ontario Oil and Gas limited, Rahamaniyya Group, Tridax Energy, Mezcor Limited, Sahara Energy and Aiteo Energy Resources Limited are the major Nigerian oil importers.