The House of Representatives yesterday constituted two Ad-hoc committees to investigate the actual volume of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also called petrol, being consumed daily in Nigeria.
The committee is also to investigate the actual state of the nation’s refineries to ascertain what it would cost to make them operational.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, who announced the composition of the committees during plenary, said it was high time the lawmakers intervened in the raging issue of fuel subsidy.
The probe comes even as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), requested from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) a whopping N3 million for fuel subsidy in the 2022 financial year.
The Speaker argued that “it is only when this investigation is painstakingly carried out that the nation can determine the actual volume of fuel that is consumed daily in the country and the amount of subsidy being paid by the government.”
“We will be setting up two ad-hoc committees, to address the issue of fuel subsidy. One will look into how much fuel we consume as a nation on a daily basis. We have had figures bandied here and there without any authenticity before we can even begin to talk about subsidy like I said.
“We need to know how much we are consuming. The second is to look into refineries and state of repair and determine what will be needed to bring our refineries back to life again.”
It is only when this investigation is painstakingly carried out that the nation can determine the actual volume of fuel that is consumed daily in the country and the amount of subsidy being paid by the government.
Ad-hoc Committees
The Committee on fuel consumption will be headed by Abdullahi Ningi, with Ahmed Satomi, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, Usman Zanna, Leke Abejide, Uzoma Abonta, Chinda, Henry Nwawuba, Ibrahim Obanikoro, Akin Alabi, Dachung Bagos, Maki Yalleman, Dike Chisom and Prince Obi as members.
For the state of the refineries, members include Ganiyu Johnson as Chairman, and Yusuf Buba, Fred Obua, Akinfolarin Mayowa, Haruna Dederi, Ibrahim Ishiaka, Ezenwankwo Okwudili, Wale Raji, Zakari Mohammed, Mansur Soro, Stanley Olajide, Aniekan Umanah, Olododo Cook Abdulganiyu, Comrade Aminu Suleiman and Johnson Oguma, as members.
Gbajabiamila tasked members of the committees to speak to various stakeholders, and not rely on just figures being paraded around.
He said: “The committee has four weeks to present its report. In doing their work they should not restrict themselves to NNPC figures, as NNPC is an interested party of course.
“They should go far and wide, talk to experts, talk to labour, talk to national and international experts and those who will know. Talk to the motor vehicles registration centres, we just need to determine how much petrol we consume, talk to the transport companies, deal with facts and figures.”
