The Downstream and Midstream Committees of the House of Representatives are committed to investigating alleged importation of toxic fuels into Nigeria, Chairman of the joint investigative committee, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere has said.
In remarks at the opening ceremony of a three-day retreat for House Committees on Downstream and Midstream in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday (Thursday, July 25), Ugochinyere said the two committees would be transparent in carrying out the investigation.
“As the lead Chairman of the House of Representatives Joint Investigative Committee on the Challenges affecting the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Sector in the country, I want to reiterate our commitment to transparency and accountability (in this assignment),” he said, adding that “our ongoing forensic legislative investigation into the anomalies within the oil and gas sector is crucial for restoring trust and ensuring the integrity of our industry.”
Ugochinyere assured that the joint committee would address “allegations concerning the importation of substandard petroleum products, the non- availability of crude oil to domestic refineries and various other critical issues that threaten the stability and security of our petroleum sector.”
Similarly, Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), Henry Odianosen Okojie, in his address, said the committees would remain committed to addressing the rot in the oil and gas sector, appealing to his team to “remain committed to the principles of transparency and accountability.”
“Our ongoing investigation into the anomalies in the oil and gas sector led by Hon. (Barr.) Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, is a testament to our dedication to rooting out corruption and inefficiency,” he reiterated,
In his remarks at the retreat, which was themed ‘Enhancing Regulatory Frameworks, Promoting Transparency and Fostering Sustainable Development in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Sector’, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed that the House was working towards creating a more business-friendly environment through legislative reforms with a view to streamlining the processes and reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Represented by Hon. Soli Sada, the Speaker said the retreat was aimed at offering the lawmakers another opportunity to evaluate and implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) “in promoting transparency, accountability, economic recovery, transformation and growth in the oil sector, as well as in the key roles of players in the industry.”
“We can recall that it was barely a week ago, that your committees on oil and gas, leadership of the House had a tour with the Dangote Refinery in Lagos,” the Speaker recalled, explaining that the purpose of that visit “was to provide House leadership and your committees with an in depth understanding and nature, scope and activities of Dangote Refinery, an initiative that tallies with our legislative agenda, which is to support the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on economic transformation, growth and development.”
