The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has issued a warrant of arrest for Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso and 17 other individuals, including the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein. The warrant stems from their refusal to appear before the committee to answer questions on allegations of corruption related to the oil sector.

The decision was made during the committee’s session on Tuesday, prompted by a petition filed by Fidelis Uzowanem. The petitioner raised concerns based on the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) report of 2021, which exposed multiple infractions within the oil and gas sector involving collaboration between industry players and government officials.

The committee, chaired by Michael Etaba (APC, Cross River), said that the individuals, including heads of major oil and exploration companies, had consistently ignored invitations to address the issues raised in the petition.

Fred Agbedi (PDP, Bayelsa), a committee member, moved the motion to issue the warrant of arrest, asserting that the concerned individuals must appear before the committee on December 14. The motion was adopted, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, was tasked with executing the warrant.

The petition by Fidelis Uzowanem highlighted the NEITI report’s revelations of fraudulent activities within the oil and gas industry dating back to 2016. Uzowanem claimed that the recoverable amounts identified in the report could potentially fund the proposed N27.5 trillion budget for 2024.

“We took up the challenge to examine the report and discovered that what NEITI put together as a report is only a consolidation of fraud that has been going on in the oil and gas industry.

“It dates back to 2016 because we have been following and we put up a petition to this committee to examine what has happened.

“The 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion that has been proposed can be confidently funded from the recoverable amount that we identified in the NEITI report,” he said.

Allegations were also made against international oil companies, including claims that millions of dollars were laundered for NNPC Limited. Uzowanem said that NEITI concealed certain transactions, such as $124 million laundered through Total, $76 million through Chevron, and $188 million through Nigeria Agip Company.

“In other words, $124 million was laundered by NNPCL through Total because monies that have been officially paid to Total could not have been concealed if they were not meant for fraudulent purposes.

“Also for Chevron, the dollar payment NEITI puts forward in its report was $76 million but documents emanating from Chevron showed that they received as much as $267 million.

“$191 million was laundered under the cover of Chevron and NEITI concealed that; also, Nigeria Agip Company received $188 million but none of it was reported by NEITI,” he said.

The arrest warrant, issued under Section 89 of the 1999 constitution, grants the National Assembly and its committees the power to compel the attendance of individuals during investigations. It allows for the imposition of fines and costs in cases of non-compliance.

The development underscores the gravity of the malfeasance going on within Nigeria’s key economic sectors.

The committee’s actions are seen as a determination to address issues of transparency and accountability within the crucial oil and gas sector, signaling a commitment to uncover and rectify fraudulent activities that have persisted over several years.

Among the 17 individuals to be apprehended are the leaders of various entities, including the heads of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Ethiop Eastern Exploration and Production Company Ltd, and Western Africa Exploration and Production.

Others include the heads of Alteo Eastern E&P Co. Ltd., First Exploration & Production Ltd., The Managing Director of First E&P Oml 8385 Jv, Heirs Holdings Oil, and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (Mpnu).

Further, the roster includes representatives from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Total Exploration & Producing Nig (TEPN), Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Pan Ocean Oil Nig, Ltd, Newcross E&P Ltd, and Frontier Oil Ltd.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, highlighted the need for a substantial investment of $2 billion to expand fiber optic cables nationwide in Nigeria.

Speaking on Channels TV, he stressed that fiber optics were a priority to enhance communication services and that the government aims to substantially increase the existing 35,000 kilometers to reach around 95,000 kilometers of cable coverage.

Tijani emphasized the potential improvement in service quality for telephones and home internet by prioritizing fiber optics. He outlined the financial requirements, estimating that $1.5 to $2 billion would be needed to achieve the 95,000-kilometer target. The Minister aims to secure private funding and partnerships to achieve this goal within the next four years.

“I understand, as a minister, that if we prioritize fiber optic cables in this country, the quality of service, whether it’s through your normal mobile telephone or the internet service you use at home, is going to go off the roof, and that’s the commitment I’m also making.

“In the next four years, we are going to do everything to increase the kilometers of fiber optic cables in Nigeria. We are about 35, 000 kilometers away, and we need to go to 95,000 kilometres, almost halfway there.

“It’s going to cost roughly $1.5 to $2 billion to wire the whole of Nigeria to reach that 95, 000.

“We hope we can accelerate in the next 6 to 12 months, secure that funding that private companies can tap into—it’s not government money—and hopefully work with serious companies that can lay fiber over the next two to three years.

“We’re hoping that before the first four years of this administration, a significant portion of that 95, 000 kilometres will be covered,” he said.

He further emphasized that within his ministry, in collaboration with the Nigeria Communication Commission, there is a clear recognition of the importance of prioritizing the deployment and enhancement of fiber optics. This strategy is seen as pivotal in elevating the overall quality of communication services within the country.

Fibre optic cables, composed of glass strands for efficient long-distance data transmission, significantly surpass wired cables in bandwidth and data transfer capabilities. They are crucial for global internet, cable TV, and telephone networks.

Additionally, Tijani acknowledged the need to enhance the infrastructure for 5G networks across Nigeria. While some areas have infrastructure to support 5G, many locations lack this support, leading to lower-quality 5G experiences for users.

“The infrastructure that drives 5G is not something that is across the nation. We do in some places.

“So, if you subscribe to 5G and you move into locations where the infrastructure cannot support it, of course, the quality will drop. 5G exists in Nigeria and there are telcos with the license,” the minister said.

Nigeria has continued to grapple with low internet penetration, primarily attributed to substandard fiber optic cable infrastructure. In 2021, the country ranked 82nd globally among 110 nations, the highest in West Africa, according to the 2021 Digital Quality of Life Index, a global study on digital well-being conducted by Surfshark, an Amsterdam-based cybersecurity firm. Agneska Sablovskaja, the research lead at Surfshark, cited factors such as the type and age of cabling (copper or fiber-optic), proximity and connection to submarine cables, and the size of a country as common causes of poor internet connectivity.

Since that assessment, little has changed, and internet service providers in Nigeria continue to grapple with the challenge of laying efficient fiber cables to ensure stable internet connectivity.