How North wasted $3b on imaginary oil exploration – Sani ….As he calls on Buhari to probe the spending

How North wasted $3b on imaginary oil exploration – Sani

….As he calls on Buhari to probe the spending

By Shola Ojo, Kaduna

Senator Shehu Sani, on Monday revealed a shocking revelation on how Northern leaders extravagantly spent over $3billion in its imaginary quest to begin massive oil exploration in the region without success.

Sani, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on foreign and domestic debts, revealed this while playing host to members of Kaduna State Students Union who paid him a courtesy call in his Kaduna office.

The Vice Chairman, Senate committee on foreign affairs, said so far over 3 billion US dollars had been wasted on what he called white elephant project without any hope of getting the oil.

The Senator then called on President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a committee to probe the development, quickly suggested that the probe should be extended beyond Goodluck Jonathan administration.

However, Northern Nigeria Development Company, (NNDC), said it would commence the exploration of oil and gas in the north- eastern part of the country by the first quarter of  this year.

This was disclosed by  Chairman of the company, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, while briefing newsmen at NNDC’s 47th Annual General Meeting late last year  in Kaduna .

Dalhatu stated that NNDC was currently collaborating with its technical partners and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on the expertise and budgetary requirements for the flag off of
the oil exploration project.

But Senator Sani maintained, “If we cannot get the oil, we must get our money back because so far over 3 billion US Dollars had been wasted on oil exploration in the north, particularly in the Chad Basin and Benue
trough.

“This oil exploration issue started from late General Sani Abacha regime, and many years after his death, no oil is found in the region.

“I blame our northern leaders who in collaboration with their southern
counterparts impoverished the north.”

Earlier, the leader of the students union, Saadu Bako  appealed to Senator Sani to assist the students both  socially and economically to enable them remain focused and achieve better education at the end of their studies, even as he prayed to God to uplift the Senator to a higher political level.

Posted from GoBroadsheet