Reps Demand Tax Records, Documents Of NNPC JV Accounts

The House of Representatives has demanded the tax records and other relevant documents on joint venture (JV) businesses and production-sharing contracts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) from 1990 to date from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The House Ad-hoc Committee probing the JV businesses gave the directive when the FIRS represented by Ogunyemilusi Gabriel and Bello Rasheed appeared before it yesterday during an investigative hearing.

But the various oil companies invited by the Committee failed to show up.

The FIRS’ representatives said the tax documents demanded by the committee had been submitted for only 2015 to last year.

The documents included the summary of petroleum profit tax; copies of tax returns filed by JV ventures from 1990 to 2022; summary of remittances to Federation Account of tax revenue between 1990 and 2022; copies of correspondence between NNPC and FIRS tax remittances; summary of all remittances to the Federation Account of tax revenue between 1990 and this year; and certified true copies of the various tax revenues accounts maintained or supervised by FIRS on behalf of the federation.

The FIRS explained that the remaining records would be supplied as they archive them.

Gabriel said the agency has a policy of archiving every six years, which was why the records from 1015 to 2021 were readily accessible when the committee demanded them.

Spokesman of the House, Ben Kalu, expressed worry that the archiving policy of the agency placed a restriction on the mandate of the committee.

“It is restricting. I say so because if you look at the request from the letter, which is from 1990 and you are starting at 2015 based on the policy, we are losing about 25 years of inquiry. They must present this number of years wherever the documents are. We need those documents for us to conduct a thorough investigation. Let no excuse be given,” Kalu said

Chairman of the committee, Abubakar Fulata, demanded that the records be made available by this Friday.

The Committee directed that the Executive Chairman of the agency, Mohammed Nami, appear before the committee next Tuesday to speak to the documents so submitted.

He also directed that the Chief Executives of the various oil companies invited appear in person or face sanctions. The sitting was adjourned to next Tuesday.