Ribadu report: One drama too many

OLALEKAN ADETAYO, in this piece, recalls the drama that unfolded during the presentation of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force’s report to the President and its effect on the authenticity of the report

Immediately after the protest that trailed the removal of fuel subsidy in January this year, the Federal Government decided to carry out some major reforms in the nation’s petroleum industry. The government therefore established four committees to chart a new course for the industry. The committees included the Special Task Force on the Review of Petroleum Industry Bill, Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force led by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Task Force on Governance and Controls led by Mr. Dotun Suleiman and the Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu-led National Refineries Special Task Force.

The Special Task Force on the Review of Petroleum Industry Bill was the first to complete its assignment. The committee submitted its draft copy of the PIB to President Goodluck Jonathan on June 29. After the approval of the Federal Executive Council, the bill was sent to the National Assembly.

While the nation was waiting for the remaining three committees to submit their reports, an international news agency, Reuters, published a story which was based on the report of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force  which as at that time had not been formally submitted.

With the leakage of the report, stakeholders including labour unions and civil society organisations accused the Federal Government of attempting to cover up. The allegation was quickly denied by the Presidency. In his bid to prove his sincerity, Jonathan last Monday directed Ribadu and the chairmen of the two other Task Force to submit their reports to him on Friday.

On the D-day, the reports presentation started with Suleiman who made a brief remark and presented the report of the Task Force on Governance and Controls.  Because of Kalu’s absence, the lot fell on the alternate chairman, Mallam Yusuf Ali, to present the report of the National Refineries Special Task Force. They did so one after the other and presented their reports to the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. Ribadu took his turn last.

The drama started when he concluded his remarks and made to present the report to Allison-Madueke. As Ribadu was moving towards the minister, the committee’s deputy chairman, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, raised his hand signifying his intention to talk.

Immediately after Ribadu handed over a copy of the report to the minister, Oronsaye’s hand caught the attention of the President who sought to know why he was raising his hand. Having been recognised, the former HOS did not mince words in saying that the process leading to the production of the Ribadu report was flawed.

He said, “I want to say to you Mr. President that the process that has been followed is flawed and the report that has just been submitted to the honourable minister is the immediate reaction of the President’s directive that the report be submitted. The last time this committee met was in early July when the draft report was to be considered and I raised certain pertinent issues. It was agreed and suggested and accepted at that meeting that a small group be put together to review, modify and return to the report drafting committee before presenting to the whole house. That did not happen. No matter how good the efforts that have been put into this exercise, as long as the process is flawed and that report is one that cannot be implemented. Let me say too that this other report which circulated was actually not accepted by members. That was the reason why the committee was to go back to modify, review and return.”

Apparently emboldened by Oronsaye’s courage, another member of the committee, Bernard Otti, signified his intention to talk. He agreed with Oronsaye that the report presented by Ribadu does not represent the views of all members. The acting Secretary of the committee, Mr. Samaila Subairu, however came to Ribadu’s rescue saying the report was indeed a product of a joint effort of all members.

Infuriated by Oronsaye’s position, Ribadu expressed his desire to respond to the allegations. He alleged that Oronsaye, in the first three months of the committee’s sitting, did not attend any meeting. He said Oronsaye failed to participate in the committee’s work and only flew in from abroad on Friday morning to play the role he played during the presentation.

Ribadu said, “During the work of the committee, Oronsaye got himself appointed on the board of the NNPC. The other gentleman who spoke, Otti, became the Director of Finance of the NNPC and they decided to more or less bully everybody to take over. And they wanted us to write for them, but committee members refused. By the time they were appointed, the honourable thing they would have done was to resign from the committee. They refused to resign. Steve has not been in the country, he flew in this morning for him to come and do this and I think our President deserves more respect than what you have done now.”

The development, no doubt, caught many unaware. Even Alison-Madueke was short of words when the time came for her to make her remarks before presenting the reports to the President.

Jonathan who was obviously taken aback by the drama that played out before him said he was not completely surprised about the development because “oil business is always too oily.” The President said any issue that had to do with revenue would naturally attract controversy. He said rather than the confrontation, any member of the committee who has additional issues to raise on the report should do so and forward them to his office through the minister or his Chief of Staff.

The President however disagreed with Ribadu on his position that Oronsaye and Otti should have resigned their membership of the committee immediately when they got the NNPC’s appointment.

“Even though the chairman said that committee members became board members of the NNPC, that does not disqualify them from being members of the committee because when you set up committees, you bring in some people who are in the establishment to be able to guide in a way to give information. There is nothing wrong in any of them being appointed anywhere, they don’t have to resign to do the work they are supposed to do,” he declared.

Expectedly, opposition parties and civil society groups have been condemning the drama that played out. They said it was an indication that the probe was a populist move by the Federal Government. A civil right activist, Mr. Debo Adeniran, advised Jonathan not to take Oronsaye’s arguments seriously. He accused the antagonists of the report of having ulterior motives.

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Nigeria Peoples Party,  Emma Eneukwu, said it was expected that those indicted by the report would kick and try to devise a cover-up.

The organised labour also urged the President to ignore Oronsaye and Otti who were opposed to the report. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress Mr. Abulwahed Omar, and Chief John Kolawole, said it was in the interest of Nigeria that the report was not swept under the carpet.

Also, the Action Congress of Nigeria said the controversy that greeted the submission of the report was a ploy by the Federal Government to discredit the report. In a statement in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said the decision to appoint Oronsaye and Otti, to positions in the NNPC while the task force was still working on its assignment was “a deliberate booby trap.”

But the Presidency faulted the ACN’s claim that Federal Government had an ulterior motive in setting up the task force and also “deliberately sabotaging” its work. Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a statement, said nothing could be farther from the truth than the claim by the party’s National Publicity Secretary. Abati said the ACN’s statement fell into a familiar pattern by the party and “its lying Lai to seek every opportunity to insult President Goodluck Jonathan.”

As the controversy generated by the drama rages, the concern of many Nigerians is whether the President would summon the courage to implement the recommendations of the report or he will allow them to be swept under the carpet. Nigerians are, of course, waiting.