The leadership of the House of Representatives has dissolved an ad-hoc committee probing the importation of adulterated petroleum products into Nigeria and other infractions in the nation’s oil and gas sector amid the resurgence of queues. The committee was led by Ikenga Ugochinyere, a lawmaker from Imo State.
   
This is coming after some members joined to place adverts supporting the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC). Recall that 118 members of the House under the banner of ‘1 AGENDA’ placed an advertorial in three national dailies allegedly aimed at protecting NNPCL in the aborted probe panel. However, some lawmakers whose names appeared in the advertorial distanced themselves from the publication.
 
But in a notice to lawmakers yesterday, House spokesman, Akin Rotimi, said the House leadership decided to dissolve the committee because of the “widespread negative media coverage”.
   
He said the lower legislative chamber would form a new committee, which would have members who have “industry knowledge, proven competence, and unquestionable integrity.”
   
The Green Chamber had at the plenary on July 9, adopted a motion on, “Urgent need to carry out a legislative forensic investigation into the challenges affecting the downstream and midstream petroleum sectors in Nigeria and other related matters to find out a lasting solution to all challenges”. 
   
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had also recently expressed disapproval of the harm that inferior products cause to automobiles and engines. He requested the House to investigate the quality of the laboratories utilised to evaluate imported goods and compare it with Dangote Refinery’s laboratory.  
   
There have been calls by some members of the committee for President Bola Tinubu to immediately dismiss the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Mele Kyari and the Chief Executive of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, for allegedly stifling the economy’s growth due to the oil sector crisis.
   
But not long into the activities of the committee, some lawmakers in the Green Chamber numbering 50, led by Billy Famous Osawaru (Edo State), faulted the calls for the removal of Kyari and Farouk. 
   
Osawaru said it is in the parliamentary culture to afford parties in an investigation of the right to a fair hearing and called on the committee handling the probe to be impartial. 
   
However, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CCSO) has blamed the sudden disbandment of the committee on allegations of harassment, extortion, blackmail, and an unfair approach to the probe process within the oil sector.
   
CCSO National Coordinator, Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, noted that the House decision to disband the committee is a testament to its commitment to upholding the tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability.
   
He expressed CSOs’ support for the House of Representatives, saying: “This Committee had been mired in allegations of harassment, extortion, blackmail, and an unfair approach to the probe process within the oil sector. By disbanding this Committee, the House has sent a clear message that unethical behavior and misconduct will not be tolerated.