Reps threatens to arrest Shell chief, others for shunning summons

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the planned relocation of oil majors from Rivers State has threatened to subpoena the Managing Director of Shell Development Company (SPDC), Mr. Osagie Okunbo and the chief executives of other operators in the oil industry for failing to honour the summons extended to them to appear before the committee over the planned relocation from the Niger Delta by oil companies.

Chairman of the ad hoc committee, Rep. Ibrahim Isiaka (APC/Ogun), issued the threat in Abuja, on Friday, when the chief executives of foreign oil firms shunned a meeting convened by the House committee.

Rep. Isiaka informed reporters that the committee was giving the affected chief executives another chance to appear before it, otherwise they risk being slammed with a warrant of arrest.

The lawmaker expressed displeasure that the oil chiefs invited were deliberately undermining the committee’s authority as enshrined in the constitution to summon anyone, no matter how highly placed to appear before it.

Specifically, he condemned the attitude of Mr. Okunbo and other stakeholders to appear before the committee in an otherwise reconciliatory meeting planned to get to the bottom of SPDC’ s planned relocation programme.

He declared that on April 4 and 10 as well as May 5, the managing director of Shell was officially summoned to appear before the committee, adding that on the three occasions he shunned the committee’s summons.

The APC House member stated that May 24 will be the last opportunity for all those summoned by the committee to appear willingly or risk being arrested by the police.

Rep. Isiaka said that the committee will take this drastic step because the committee has a time limit within which to deliver on its mandate and report its findings to the House.

He asserted that “we would not allow anyone to throw spanners in the wheels of progress whether wittingly or unwittingly.”

Other aggrieved committee members at the botched meeting, such as Reps Mohammed Ajanah (APC/Kogi); Mark Gbillah (APC/Benue) and Julius Pondi (PDP/Delta) backed the threat issued by the committee’s chairman in the face of continuous flouting of the committee’s invitations.

Ruling further, Rep. Isiaka directed the chief executive officer of Shell to submit to committee, all the oil company’s movable and immovable assets in Port Harcourt as at the close of business between December 2016 and December 2017.

He added that the information requested must reach the committee’s secretariat on or before May 24.
Other oil chiefs summoned to appear before the committee are the managing director of INTEL and the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).