By Jude Opara
Marvellous Godwins Omobayo, yesterday maintained that he remains the authentic Deputy Governor of Edo State.
Omobayo said he still performs his duties as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
He disclosed this during a solidarity visit by the leadership and members of the three recognized transport unions in Edo State.
The Deputy governor declared that he was not in any way distracted by the ongoing litigations relating to his office.
Omobayo said he is focused on supporting his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki, for the economic prosperity and transformation of Edo State.
Recently, the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had reinstated Philip Shaibu as the Deputy governor of the state.
Shaibu was impeached by the Edo State House of Assembly following his rift with Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Following Shaibu’s impeachment, Obaseki had sworn in Omobayo as Deputy governor of the state.
Determine the level of compliance of the NNPCL’s Direct Sale and Direct Purchase (DSP) arrangements in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, including the extent of transparency and accountability .
“ Beam legislative searchlight on the activities of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), including payments made to transporters in the last 10 years.
“Enquire from the NNPCL the state/status of the 22 depots built by the defunct NNPC to eliminate road distribution of petroleum products.
“ Engage with stakeholders within the oil and gas industry with a view to identifying possible gaps in regulating and strengthening the surveillance and monitoring structures in place to enable Nigeria to detect violations of best practice standards in the importation of products before they enter into the domestic supply chains
“Also engage with the NNPCL with a view to understanding the extent of its determination and timelines for the start-up of government-funded oil refineries.
“Investigate how institutions across the importation and distribution chain failed to conduct quality sampling, shipped in products without auditing, and performed
port validations by the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON); and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)”.
Consequently , according to the Chairman, the 15- man committee has resolved to carry out the investigations holistically and thoroughly and has written all the relevant stakeholders in the sector for submission of relevant documents and appearance before it during public hearing , fixed for September 10th to September 12th , 2024.
