Fire incident probe: Warri Refineries MD seeks new date •Says Senate invitation coincides with daughter’s wedding

THE Managing Director of Warri Refineries and Petrochemical Company, Chief Paul Obelley, failed to appear before the Senate, on Thursday.

His failure to honour an invitation extended to him by the upper legislative chamber was to enable him to attend his daughter’s wedding, taking place this weekend in Agbor, Delta State. The Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) had summoned Obelley, along with top management of the refinery to appear before it on Thursday. They were expected to explain the circumstances surrounding the fire incident that occured at the refinery on October 22. However, Obelley, in a letter signed by the Group Executive Director, Refinery and Petrochemicals, Mr Tony Oguigbe, said he would not be able to attend the meeting, as he wanted to attend his daughter’s wedding. “I would like to request your kind consideration to give us another date to enable me to attend and participate in my daughter’s wedding taking place on November 1 and 2 at Agbor and Asaba respectively. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause your esteemed committee and I kindly request that you re-schedule for another day,” the letter read. The Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Andrew Yakubu, also failed to honour the Senate invitation. The NNPC boss, in a letter to the committee, asked for time to collate his information on petroleum products and the NNPC crude oil swap arrangement. The letter was signed by the NNPC Group General Manager of the National Assembly Liasion Office. Chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Magnus Abe, agreed that the NNPC GMD and his team needed more time to be able to collate the document on the issue. He, however, said they should able to get it done within the next one week and, unfailingly, report to the committee in two weeks’ time. He also warned that they should not fail to honour the next invitation, noting that the cooperation of all agencies working with his committee was needed to safeguard the interest of all Nigerians.