The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Petroleum Downstream to probe the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) further over its claim that it has sufficient petrol to meet the country’s needs.
BizWatch Nigeria understands that since December 2021, the NNPC has been assuring members of the public of sufficient petrol in store, which it said would meet their needs.
While Hon. Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno) mandated the Committee to investigate the release of the methanol-blended petrol in the country with a view to ensuring that culprits are brought to book and make recommendations to avoid reoccurrence, the lawmakers unanimously lamented the untold hardship suffered by members of the public in the heat of fuel scarcity.
As the House directed NNPC to immediately suspend the companies involved in the supply of the contaminated petrol and as well submit their names to the Committee, Minority leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu (PDP, Delta) coming under order 8 rule 4, of the House rules, said the existing committee saddled with the responsibility of investigating the issue of adulterated fuel, should as well ascertain if there was an interim report on the claim by the state-owned oil and gas company that it has enough fuel despite lingering scarcity experienced across the country.
Lamenting his difficulty in getting to work, Elumelu stated: I’m coming under this rule for us to discuss the issue of lingering fuel crisis in Nigeria. I agree that NNPC said it has enough but it doesn’t seem to tally with their submission that they’ve enough fuel because there’s still some lingering fuel crisis in the whole of Nigeria.
“It was difficult for me to get here because all the roads are totally blocked by those looking for petrol. There’s already an existing committee saddled with the responsibility of investigating the issue of adulterated fuel, so I’m thinking they should find out if there’s an interim report to that effect with their already existing assignment.”
The Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, therefore, directed the Committee to extend their investigation into the lingering crisis.
“There’s a nexus between that motion of last week on adulterated fuel and what you have very rightly brought up. The standing committee committee should take note and extend their investigation into this lingering crisis,” Gbajabiamila stated.
