Constitutional lawyers and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), under the aegis of Alliance for Transparency, have criticised the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas, for dissolving the joint committee investigating issues in the petroleum sector.
On Monday, House spokesperson, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jnr, announced that the leadership of the House had decided to dissolve the joint committee on Petroleum Midstream and Downstream and form a new ad-hoc committee to continue the investigation.
Rotimi stated, “The original committee, tasked with examining the importation of adulterated petroleum products, the lack of crude oil for domestic refineries, and other critical energy security concerns, will be succeeded by a newly constituted ad-hoc committee with the same mandate.”
He added, “To ensure the effectiveness and independence of the investigation, the new committee will include members chosen for their expertise, competence, and integrity. The House is committed to addressing these critical issues and ensuring thorough oversight. Further details on the new committee’s operations will be provided in due course.”
However, in a joint statement signed by John Lalong, the lawyers and CSOs expressed concern over the dissolution of an assignment originally given to a Standing Committee of the House, questioning the legitimacy of the change through a media statement.
They noted that the referral had been made to the Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) and (Midstream), chaired by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere and Hon. Henry Okojie, through a House plenary resolution.
The group emphasised that the public’s heightened interest and the current economic climate demonstrated confidence in the House to address and resolve issues in the oil sector.
They criticised the timing of the dissolution, coming shortly after allegations surfaced that the NNPCL, facing pressure from the committee, had financially influenced the House leadership to achieve this outcome.
The group also described the dissolution as an attempt to obscure problems in the petroleum sector, arguing that any reversal of the referral should be made through a resolution of the House in plenary.