Confusion as Senate suspends investigative hearing on oil sector sabotage

Amidst the public anger and dissatisfaction trailing the increase in price of Premium Motor Spirit otherwise known as petrol and the scarcity of the product at retail outlets, the Senate has suspended its investigative hearing expected to hold on Tuesday.

Senate Leader and Chairman of the adhoc Committee to Investigate Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Bamidele’s statement was silent on the reason for the sudden postponement but merely claimed that “the decision for the postponement was taken in the best interest of the federation and its teeming population.”

He further explained that the postponement became imperative considering the compelling need “to consult more widely with expanded stakeholders within and without the petroleum industry and legislative exigencies to further deepen due diligence in the conduct of the investigative hearing “

He also added; “the prevailing realities in the country that demanded urgent interventions of nearly all the stakeholders in the public and private sectors across 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory informed the resolve for the postponement.

“While we deeply regret all inconveniences it may have caused all the stakeholders collectively or individually, this decision was taken purely and solely in the national interest.”

He explained that each of these decisions was taken to enable the ad-hoc committee the holistic approach to the public hearing and find lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the petroleum sector of the economy.

The Senate further assured all the stakeholders that a new date for the public hearing would be communicated to them in due course.

Checks revealed that President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio had
had set up the ad-hoc committee to investigate billions spent on maintaining the nation’s refineries; beam searchlight on the regulatory agencies over payment to transporters and unravel alleged importation of hazardous petroleum products and dumping of substandard diesel into the country.

Further checks revealed that the ad-hoc committee had concluded its pre-investigation undertakings and held an interactive session with the heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as well as some private interests in the downstream and midstream petroleum sector.

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