By Olusegun Emmanuel, Abuja
The Governor of the Central Bank Mr. Sanusi Lamido, has offered fresh insight into the allegedly missing oil money, insisting that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC cannot still account for $20 billion dollars of the sales of crude oil last year.
Sanusi who spoke during the Senate Committee hearing in Abuja on Tuesday, explained that NNPC shipped 67 billion dollars worth of crude oil within the period under review but that the remittance to the apex bank was 47 billion dollars.
But the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mr. Andrew Yakubu expressed dissatisfaction with CBN governor’s comments, saying he keeps bringing new figure at every committee meeting when in fact in December admitted that 10.8billion dollars was not missing.
Accordng to Sanusi, “We must agree on the figures. What is clear is that NNPC shipped $67 billion worth of crude, but what came to the CBN after all reconciliation, stands at $47 billion. Let us know what happened to the remaining $20 billion,” he insisted.
However, Yakubu while addressing newsmen after the hearing assured NNPC would clear the alleged missing 20 billion dollars during the reconciliation, just as he applauded the committee for organising the hearing.
Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives NEITI in its submission said to audit would reconcile the account of NNPC within a period of nine months.
Meanwhile, the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS has confirmed that it has received 16 billion dollars which are verifiable to the CBN.
The chairman of the committee, Ahmed Markarfi postponed the next committee sitting till next week Thursday.
Markafi earlier vowed it will ensure that every dime is accounted for.
