Amid growing public frustration over the hike in Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) prices and its scarcity at retail stations, the Senate has postponed its scheduled investigative hearing, which was set to take place on Tuesday.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader and Chair of the ad-hoc Committee tasked with investigating alleged economic sabotage within Nigeria’s petroleum industry, announced the postponement in a statement on Sunday.
Although the statement did not provide specific reasons for the sudden delay, Bamidele mentioned that the decision was made “in the best interest of the federation and its large population.”
He further noted that the postponement was necessary to allow for broader consultations with key stakeholders within and outside the petroleum sector, as well as to address legislative priorities, in order to conduct a more thorough investigation.
Bamidele also cited the urgent demands on public and private sector stakeholders across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as a contributing factor to the delay. He expressed regret over any inconvenience the decision might cause but emphasized that it was made purely for national interest.
The postponement, he explained, would allow the ad-hoc committee to take a comprehensive approach to the public hearing and work towards finding long-term solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
The Senate assured stakeholders that a new date for the hearing would be announced soon.
It was earlier revealed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio had established the ad-hoc committee to investigate the billions spent on maintaining the nation’s refineries, scrutinize regulatory bodies regarding payments to fuel transporters, and probe the alleged importation of hazardous petroleum products, including substandard diesel, into the country.
Further investigations showed that the ad-hoc committee had already completed its pre-investigation activities and held discussions with the heads of relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), along with private sector representatives from the downstream and midstream segments of the petroleum industry.
