*Probe into N1.5trn fuel subsidy suffers setback

*Iweala appears without documents

BY HENRY UMORU & INALEGWU SHAIBU

ABUJA – MOVES by the Senate to investigate the N1.5 trillion spent on fuel subsidy scheme was stalled yesterday, following the shunning of the Joint Committees on Petroleum, Finance and Appropriation by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN; Petroleum Products Prices Regulation Agency, PPPRA, Petroleum Ministry and Nigeria Customs Service,NCS.

But the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Senator Magnus Abe, (PDP, Rivers South-East), warned the stakeholders to honour the invitation in their own interest and that of the country, saying the senators were working in line with the constitution and for the country.

He said the submission of the Ministry of Finance or relevant government agencies were key to the assignment.

He added that the Senate must get to the root of how the money was spent, who spent it and for what purposes, just as he stressed that it will not be possible for the committee to tell the Senate that they could not find answers to questions of subsidy management in the country.

At the well-publicised public hearing, yesterday, only the Minister of Finance and Coordinator, Economic Team, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, appeared before the committees, but pleaded for another day because the documents she was to present before the committees were not ready and for the fact that she only returned to the country yesterday.

After input from Senators Odion Ugbesia, Solomon Ita Enang, Andy Uba and Ocheja Emmanuel Dangana, Senator Abe ruled that she be allowed at another date.

Those who were absent included the Petroleum Minister, Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Austin Oniwon; CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido; Executive Secretary, PPPRA; Comptroller-General of  NCS; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority and the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Saad Ola Ibrahim.