By Nnenna Ezeah
MOBIL Oil Nigeria, Plc has denied any form of involvement in subsidy scam. The anti-corruption agency is to recover 14.93 billion naira ($95.04 million) in fuel subsidy payments received by Mobil Oil Nigerian Plc, the downstream subsidiary of ExxonMobil group, a parliamentary investigation said.

“The national assembly’s fuel subsidy report said 18 firms, including Mobil Oil Nigeria, never produced the documents that would prove the subsidy funds they received from government tallied with the amount of fuel they imported.

“Mobil Oil’s bill was three times larger than the next biggest amount owing and more than 10 times bigger than the majority of firms named, the report said. The other companies were non-listed Nigeria-based downstream firms.

“These companies deliberately refused to appear because they had something to hide,” the report said, listing the amount Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency should recover from each firm.“ However, Mobil in a statement to Vanguard signed by the Manager, Public & Government Affairs of Mobil Oil Nigeria, Mr.Akin Fatunke, said that at no time was it invited by the committee to appear before it.

Mobil Oil Nigeria’s name was neither listed in the invitation published in national dailies by the committee on January 13, 2012 nor did it receive any letter of invitation to appear before the committee. The media reports suggesting that Mobil Oil Nigeria refused to appear before the committee because it ‘has something to hide’ are incorrect.

“It states that Mobil Oil Nigeria stands ready to appear before the committee or any other agency of government should it be invited. Our company has fully co-operated with the investigation into operations of the Fuel Subsidy Scheme conducted by the Senate and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“The company also co-operated with Federal Inland Revenue Service’s (FIRS) review of the Fuel Subsidy Scheme. In addition, as recently as November 2011, Mobil Oil Nigeria was invited and appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources. (Downstream) for an interactive forum”.

“Mobil Oil Nigeria has strictly complied with the guidelines of the Petroleum Subsidy Fund as issued by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). Mobil Oil Nigeria conducts its business to the highest ethical standards and in full compliance of the law”.

“ There are several investigations and audits going on into the fuel subsidy, including by the anti-corruption agency. Mobil Oil said it had duly complied with the hearing by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission because they got an invitation.

“ Nigeria tried in vain to end gasoline subsidies on Jan. 1, but a week of public protests forced the government to partially re-instate the payments, seen as a massive drain on its budget.“ The protests prompted a wave of audits and probes into why fuel subsidy costs were spiraling out of control.

“ The central bank governor, lawmakers and government ministers said Nigeria was spending billions of dollars more on fuel subsidies than was in the budget, and buying billions of litres more than were actually consumed.“ Part of the probe was to uncover companies which collected subsidy payments but never imported fuel or sold the fuel to neighboring countries where fuel prices are not subsidised and therefore much higher than in Nigeria.“ Investigators looking into the subsidy found importers were being paid for 59 million litres a day, while the country only consumes 35 million.