As allegations of procurement frauds rages in Akwa Ibom oil commodities, a member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and Mobil Producing Nigeria Joint Venture (NNPC/MPN JV), Barr Dan Abia, has dismissed the allegation.
Abia, is a member of the Board of Trustee (BoT) representing Esit Eket on Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCTF) comprising no fewer than seven oil producing local government areas of Eket, Mbo, Onna, Ibeno, Mkpat Enin, Esit Eket and Eastern (EMOIMEE).
Refuting allegations of embezzlement of the trust fund in the procurement of vehicles, and palliative items, Abia, who spoke in an interview in his residence in Eket LGA on Wednesday, Abia dismissed the allegation as politically -motivated, explaining that “it’s impossible for anyone to carry out any form of embezzlement because of the way the PIA is structured.”
He said: “PIA is a specialized area and very novel. Every day we are learning and because we don’t want to make mistakes, the speed isn’t much because the checks mechanism is serious. In fact, the way the PIA is fashioned, it’s almost impossible to have any form of embezzlement.
“We have several layers of control; we have the Board of Trustees whose job and responsibilities are distinct from the management committee. The Management Committee also has it responsibility very distinct from that of the Advisory Committee
“The checks don’t even stop at that level, we have the Settlor, which is like the general overseer, then you have yet again the regulator, by this Act, there is only one regular and it that regulator is the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulation Commission. The Regulator regulates the settlor and the activities of the Trust.
“You cannot go outside the host community development plan, so you are guided by the PIA document. It’s specified by law that the Settlor should carry out the needs assessment and the bottom line is that both the needs assessment and the host community development plan is done by the Settlor (Mobil) but in conjunction with the Community.
“It’s impossible to do a project that is not contained in the document and that means you cannot invent any project. These allegations are politically motivated and coming from people who are yet to benefit”
He disclosed that since inauguration in August, 2024, the Esit Eket Trust Fund had only done two projects— the scholarship grant to students and purchase of 95 mini buses and 95 motorcycles to communities in Esit Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
Reacting to allegations of rickety buses as palliatives, Abia explained: “The prices were not determined by me or anyone of us, it was determined by the procurement team and it was uniform.
“The price in Esit-Eket is the same as the price in Eket and any other place, these jobs were advertised and usually with Mobil, the lowest bidder gets the job and it was awarded at N3. 9m for each bus.”
