By FEMI OGUNSHOLA

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating crude oil theft has insisted on the appearance of the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) and others before the committee.

They include the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).

Rep Alhassan Rurum, the Chairman of the probe panel, gave the ruling in Abuja, adding that the heads of the agencies must appear in person and not send representatives.

Rurum said the heads of all the invited agencies must appear in person on Sept. 11, while frowning at a situation where the heads of the agencies invited did not appear but sent their directors as representatives.

He said most of the Invited CEOs wrote to the committee asking for permission to be represented by their subordinate as they were not disposed to appear in person and honour the committee’s invitation.

He said the committee had the powers to invite and cause appearance of any individual, government officials including corporate entity charged with the responsibility of administration of public funds.

At the hearing, the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigeria Upstream Regulatory Authority (NUPRA) said pipelines and flow stations were the major targets of oil thieves.

They blamed faulty metering procedure, faulty instrument and lack of technology as impediments in the efforts of agencies of the Federal Government in tackling oil theft.

Rurum, however, said that the invited CEOs of the agencies should come with a list of all other agencies working in export terminal of all the nation’s oil sector. (NAN)