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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has refuted claims that it was summoned by the House of Representatives over $1.67 billion crude oil revenue, as being reported.
NEPC’s Head, Corporate Communications, Ndubueze Okeke, in a rejoinder yesterday, said the Council by its statutory mandate, has no business with crude oil revenues.
He said such report was false and could mislead the public and stakeholders in the non-oil export sector.
Okeke explained that NEPC is mandated to develop and promote diversification of the economy through the export of non-oil products and services.
According to him, NEPC has never been a party to any suit and has never been a party to any suit involving any company in the oil sector as erroneously indicated in the story under reference.
“The attention of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) is drawn to a publication on page 26 of the Daily Sun of June 6, 2023 with the title “Reps Panel Summon NEPC MD Over Status of $1.67bn Crude Oil Revenue”.
“The Management of NEPC wishes to state that the said publication which was published on June 5, 2023, is totally false and capable of misleading the general public and stakeholders in the non-oil export sector and thereby bringing the Council into disrepute. “The NEPC has not been summoned before any Rep Panel or Committee of the House of Representatives on alleged $1.67billion crude oil revenue.
“The NEPC is statutorily mandated to develop and promote the diversification of the economy through the export of non-oil products and services.
“In this wise, the NEPC, in pursuant of its mandate is not and has never been charged with regulating or coordinating the export of crude oil or otherwise since it was established in 1976.
“Indeed, the NEPC’s objectives and functions as encapsulated in the Nigerian Export Promotion Council Act, Cap N108, Laws of the Federation 2004, is to specifically promote non-oil export as against promoting crude oil export.
“The Council was therefore established to actually discourage reliance on only crude oil as a means of revamping the Nigerian economy. It is therefore ironical that your publication is now foisting a role on the NEPC that is quite at variance to its fundamental objectives.
“Furthermore, the Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC who is charged with the day to day running of the Office is designated as “Executive Director” (ED) and not “Managing Director” (MD) as erroneously stated in your online publication,” he said.
