By Tordue Salem

ABUJA— The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement is apprehensive that a damning report by its committee against Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI, which was laid on the floor of the House on 17  December 2009 is singled out for the trash can.

The report which was presented by Rep. Yusuf Tuggar on the probe into a petition by Tilone Nigeria Ltd against Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI, on the award of a $43 million contract for remotely operated vehicles details the ‘sins’ of the oil company.

The committee in its report, laid before the House at the last sitting before Christmas last year, said it found evidence to show that the management of Total Nigeria Upstream, TUPNI, deliberately, wilfully and against best business practices, disregarded the rules and regulations governing the award of contract for the project.

The committee further states that the award of the contract contravenes the Public Procurement Act and local content policy in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

The report also indicted TUPNI on the falsification of the bid figures submitted by TILONE by adding various sums totalling about $10.75 million to show the indigenous company was not the least bidder. The committee in the report invited anti-graft agencies to further investigate the matter and apprehend the culprits.

But more than five months after, the report is yet to see the light of day. The Chairman of the House Committee on Business and Rules, Rep. Ita Enang is accused by the Due Process Committee of failing to list the report for consideration during this period.

Rep. Yussuf Tuggar, Chairman of the House Committee on Public Procurement when questioned of the delay in considering the report said: “You should ask Ita Enang that question.”

He further stated: “The issue is out of our hands. We have presented the report, the House has accepted it. The next thing is the consideration of the report; so its now completely out of our hands. Every standing committee in this House has its own functions and we cannot overstep our boundary.”