Investigations of the National Assembly into the $4.45 billion Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) project 7 attracted more controversies, disagreements and rowdiness yesterday.
Two times and for over an hour each, the Joint Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives conducting the probe went into two separate close-door meetings with the NLNG officials led by NLNG Project Director, Ali Uwais, as well as the contractors handling the project.
However, having failed to get the information they required, the committees, in a resolution, agreed to formally make their requests known to the NLNG in terms of documents and other information needed.
It also charged the NLNG to halt further variations in the $4,451,731,937 contract.
Yesterday’s investigative hearing attracted a large crowd of lawmakers comprising members and non-members of the gas committees, considering the hostile atmosphere that has weakened and crippled the investigation since its beginning.
Trouble started when Uwais submitted a document containing what the lawmakers called limited information.
The Chairman of the joint committee, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, expressed disappointment that a clause in the document clearly said that “figures contained therein are disputed and subject to ongoing legally privileged commercial negotiations.”
Jarigbe, therefore, concluded that the figures can’t be used for the investigation.
Amid the tense situation, the committee went into the first closed-door session. After an hour of secret talks, journalists were called in to monitor the situation.
Lawmakers took their turns to condemn the insistence of NLNG and the contractors for not making useful information available for the investigation.
The contentious issues include a lack of information and explanation on the original contract sum, which was $4,372,760,462.
Others are limited information on the 99 total variation requests worth $177,892,289; approved 62 variation orders amounting to $43,771,475 and approved amendments (claims/settlement) worth $35,000,000.
The NLNG had informed the committee that five variation requests are being evaluated, amounting to $7,609,678.
Uwais also told the committee that the fluctuation in foreign exchange rates was a principal cause of contract variation.
