The Senate has postponed the public hearing for the alleged economic sabotage in the petroleum industry to allow for broader consultations with the stakeholders.
The hearing, initially scheduled for September 10 all through to September 12, was deferred to ensure meaningful input from entities such as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The Senate cited the need for legislative due diligence as another reason for the deferment.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Economic Sabotage in the Petroleum Industry, issued a statement explaining that the postponement is in the national interest.
He assured stakeholders that a new date for the hearing would be communicated soon, and expressed regret for any inconvenience caused.
The hearing was set to investigate billions spent on maintaining Nigeria’s refineries, allegations of regulatory overpayments to transporters, and the importation of substandard diesel.
The ad-hoc committee had already conducted preliminary meetings with ministries, departments, agencies, and private oil firms before scheduling the now-postponed public hearing.
In a related development, the Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to reverse the recent increase in petrol prices.
The union described the hike, which saw fuel prices in some areas reach up to N1200 per litre, as an attack on workers’ wellbeing and a breach of the agreement reached during minimum wage negotiations.
The NLC urged the government to revise its economic policies, stressing that the price hike exacerbates the economic hardship many Nigerians are facing.
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