House of Reps to inaugurate joint NASS committee on Petroleum Industry Investigation 

The House of Representatives has announced that it will inaugurate the Joint Senate/House Ad Hoc Committees on the Petroleum Industry Investigation on September 25, 2024.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Akin Rotimi, Jr., Spokesman for the House of Representatives, on September 11 and shared via the lawmakers’ official WhatsApp platform.

The announcement follows the dissolution of the ad-hoc Joint Committee on Downstream and Midstream, which was investigating the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) regarding the importation of adulterated petrol and the unavailability of crude oil for local refineries on August 27, 2024.

Committed to Impactful Reforms 

According to Rotimi, following the 10th Assembly’s resumption on September 24, 2024, it will continue to drive its Legislative Agenda, focusing on impactful reforms aimed at national development and fulfilling its mandate to the Nigerian people, including issues related to the oil and gas reform

“Upon reconvening, the leadership of the House will inaugurate the new board of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) and the Joint Senate/House Ad Hoc Committees on the Petroleum Industry Investigation on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

“Further details regarding these activities will be announced during plenary on the day of resumption,” he stated.

He revealed that lawmakers had recently engaged in constituency outreach across the country, addressing critical issues of concern to constituents and deepening oversight of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

Backstory 

Rotimi disclosed that a new committee will be established to continue the investigation into the importation of adulterated petroleum products, the unavailability of crude oil for domestic refineries, and other critical energy security issues.

On July 3, 118 members under the banner “1 AGENDA” placed an advertorial in three national dailies, allegedly aimed at protecting the NNPCL during the now-aborted probe panel. However, some lawmakers whose names appeared in the advertorial have distanced themselves from it.

• The ad-hoc committee, led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Downstream, had been calling for the dismissal of Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. In contrast, another group of 50 lawmakers has called for his retention.
• Led by Billy Osawaru from Edo State, these lawmakers argued that calling for Kyari’s dismissal during an ongoing investigation contradicts parliamentary culture.
• Earlier, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) alleged that the Dangote Refinery was producing inferior products compared to imported ones.
• Farouk Ahmed, the head of NMDPRA, made this claim, stating that the quality of diesel produced by Dangote was 665 ppm, which he considered inferior.
• Ahmed’s statement sparked significant public backlash. Many people found his remarks unacceptable, arguing that they undermined a major local industry and did not reflect the true quality of the refinery’s products.

In response, Dangote invited regulators to test their products. The company claims that they are producing better-quality products than most filling stations across Nigeria, confidently standing by the superior quality of their output.