The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) has vowed to deepen legislative scrutiny of Nigeria’s midstream petroleum sector, promising more aggressive oversight of operators and regulators to improve energy security, domestic gas utilisation and accountability across the industry.

 

The commitment followed two legislative retreats held by the committee in Port Harcourt and Lagos, where lawmakers reviewed challenges confronting the sector and adopted measures aimed at strengthening parliamentary oversight under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

 

Speaking in a statement on Monday, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Odianosen Okojie, said the era of relying solely on reports and presentations was over, stressing that legislators must engage directly with facilities and stakeholders to understand the realities of the industry.

 

“Recently, we did something that I believe should become standard practice for every legislative committee in Nigeria: we went to see for ourselves.

“We did not wait for briefing notes and ministerial reports. We travelled directly from the airport to Greenville LNG and to Indorama Petrochemicals Ltd, and we saw with our own eyes the scale, the complexity and the realities of midstream operations in this country,” he said.

 

The committee conducted oversight visits to Greenville Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited in Rumuji and Indorama Petrochemicals Limited in Rivers State before holding intensive sessions on legislative oversight and sector regulation.

 

One of the major outcomes of the retreat was the committee’s decision to undertake a follow-up visit to Greenville LNG after reviewing documents formally requested from the company.

 

According to Okojie, the committee intends to deepen its assessment of the firm’s operations and compliance framework before drawing conclusions.

“The Committee has resolved to conduct a follow-up visit to the Greenville facility upon receipt and satisfactory review of certain documents that the Committee has formally requested of the company.

“We expect Greenville’s full cooperation, and we look forward to deepening our engagement with a company that is doing genuinely pioneering work in Nigeria’s domestic gas distribution landscape,” he stated.

 

The committee also passed a formal vote of confidence in Indorama Petrochemicals Limited, citing the company’s contribution to Nigeria’s petrochemical industry and its cooperation with the legislative oversight process.

 

Okojie said the decision reflected the committee’s commitment to recognising excellence while maintaining strict oversight standards.

“Following our visit to Indorama Petrochemicals Ltd, this Committee passed a formal vote of confidence in the company, a recognition of Indorama’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s petrochemical and industrial value chain, and of the professionalism and transparency with which its management engaged with our oversight process,” he said.

 

At the Lagos retreat, lawmakers and industry stakeholders highlighted the strategic importance of the midstream petroleum sector, describing it as the critical link between hydrocarbon production and domestic consumption.

In a presentation delivered to the committee, a lead consultant described the sector as central to Nigeria’s energy future.

“The midstream petroleum sector is the indispensable bridge of the oil and gas value chain. It connects production at the wellhead to the markets, homes and industries that depend on energy,” the presentation noted.

 

The consultant identified inadequate infrastructure, regulatory disputes, asset vandalism, pipeline security concerns, tariff issues and slow domestic gas utilisation as some of the major challenges confronting the industry.

 

The committee also commended Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) for its role in safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas assets.

Okojie praised the company for its contributions to pipeline security, maintenance and engineering services across the petroleum value chain.

 

“PINL has in the past few years done remarkably in construction, maintenance and security services in the oil and gas sector. The Committee is very proud of what PINL has been able to do for the industry. They have been very professional and patriotic in the execution of their mandate,” he said.

 

According to the lawmaker, the firm’s activities have helped maintain stability in Nigeria’s crude oil production while creating employment opportunities for youths across the Niger Delta and other operational areas.

 

“PINL is largely responsible for the protection and maintenance of oil and gas facilities over the years and this has helped to keep crude oil production steady and stable.

“Not only has PINL helped in rendering surveillance and security services, but they have also provided jobs to our teeming youths in the Niger Delta region and other areas of its jurisdiction. In all its corridors, the company has done well in providing cutting-edge technology services to the nation,” Okojie added.

 

The committee’s deliberations repeatedly returned to the need for stronger implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act.

 

According to Okojie, legislative oversight would no longer be measured by the number of hearings conducted but by the impact of parliamentary actions on the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

“Our theme, ‘Oversight in Action,’ was not chosen for its elegance. It was chosen because oversight that exists only on paper changes nothing.

 

“The Nigerian people do not feel the words of our resolutions. They feel the price of cooking gas in their kitchens, the reliability of power in their homes, the integrity of the pipelines that cross their communities, and the vitality of the industries that employ their children,” he said.

 

The committee chairman, who represents Esan North-East/Esan South-East Federal Constituency of Edo State, pledged that both regulators and operators would be held accountable while efforts to attract investment and support industry growth would continue.

“We will hold our regulatory authorities to the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and we will demand the same of every operator in this industry. Where there is excellence, we will commend it. Where there is failure, we will confront it without apology,” he stated.

 

In a communiqué issued at the end of the Port Harcourt retreat, the committee reaffirmed its constitutional oversight mandate and pledged to translate the outcomes of the exercise into concrete legislative measures.

 

According to the communiqué, resolutions reached during the retreat will form the basis for future oversight hearings, committee directives and legislative instruments in the 10th House of Representatives.

 

“The findings and commitments of this retreat will be translated directly into concrete legislative instruments, oversight hearings and binding directives,” the communiqué stated.

Lawmakers also called on regulators, investors, operators, host communities and civil society organisations to engage constructively with the legislative process as Nigeria seeks to build a more transparent and efficient midstream petroleum industry.

 

The House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) was created following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, which restructured Nigeria’s oil and gas industry and established a distinct regulatory framework for the midstream and downstream segments.