$21B NLNG funds, Legally Withdrawn—NNPC

*Says Money, belongs to FG, Not States

*As Reps Summon Finance Minister, CBN Governor
The withdrawal of over $21billion from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG dividends account by the Nigeria National  Petroleum Corporation, NLNG, was not illegal, the Group Managing Director of the Agency, Mr. Mele Kyari declared on Thursday.
The GMD who was represented at an investigated hearing of the Rep. Wole Oke(PDP-Osun) led Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives by the Chief Financial Officer of the corporation, Mr. Umar Ajiya, said NNPC pulled out the sum from the dividends account, on the authorization of the Federal Government, as represented by the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and the NNPC.
He stressed at the hearing, that proceeds from the Dividends Account, were the Federal Government’s share of revenues from oil shared among the Federal and state tiers of the federation.
“All withdrawals(from NLNG dividends fund), were based on approved mandates of the relevant authorities. As far as NNPC is concerned, investments in NLNG, were done on behalf of the Federal government. I was the treasurer of NLNG, so I was aware of the Federal government’s investment in the project.
“The same matter came at the FEC(Federal Executive Council), and was referred to a Committee, headed by the Governor of Kaduna State, but the fact is that, the Federal Government, through the NNPC, is the true owner of the investment(the sum withdrawn). It is accrued to the Federal government, not the Federation Account.
“There is no question of illegal withdrawal. Nobody can withdraw from the account, illegally; the CBN Governor, can be invited to attest to that”, Ajiya, submitted. 
He added that though “Though the NNPC sits on the board (of NLNG) on behalf of the Federal government, proceeds from the investment, are managed and disbursed or dispensed or utilized, based on the instruction of the the Federal Governnment. When I say Federal government, I do not mean, NNPC; ordinarily, it’s the Federal Ministry of Finance, that directs the utilization. We(NNPC), are merely, the agents of the Federal government”.
In respect to queries from the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation on alleged unauthorized deduction of over N1.2trillion in 2014 from proceeds from oil, the NNPC CFO, maintained that “the NNPC couldn’t have remitted all its earnings” at the time to the federation account. 
The AuGF also queried the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR and the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, but however cleared them on the issue of non-remittances for the year in review. 
The House Committee, headed by Rep. Oke, then resolved to summon the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmad, Governor of CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, to clarify claims by the Mr. Ajiya, on the utilization of the NLNG fund. 
The House Committee on Public Accounts, is constitutionally vested with the power to carry our post-mortem(after expenditure), reviews of public fund spending by agencies of government.
Recall that the the NLNG issue, was a subject of resolution by the House, several months ago.