Senate Rejects Panel Report On Fuel Scarcity

The Senate yesterday rejected the interim report of its committee on Petroleum (Downstream) on the lingering fuel scarcity in the country. The panel probed issues relating to illegal operation of new subsidy regime by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Senator expressed reservation on report of the committee chaired by Senator Kabir Marafa (APC,Zamfara).

The committee had recommended that the Federal Government should consider granting a special foreign exchange concession to oil marketers and partially deregulate the petroleum sector to allow oil marketers import fuel and sell at a price different from the NNPC mega stations, as short term measures. As long term measures, the committee recommended the unbundling of the NNPC through the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), upgrade of all existing refineries, dredging of water channels and that the Federal Government should allow for private participation in the development of viable product distribution infrastructures. First to fault the report was Senator Attai Aidoko (PDP, Kogi) who said it did not capture the key mandate of the committee, alleging that it was written and handed over to the committee by the NNPC.

The position was supported by Senator Bayero Nafada (APC, Gombe), who said “It looks like a report that was imported to the Senate not the one by the Senate. The committee should go back and bring its own report not the one that was written for it”. However, Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe) cautioned his colleagues against denigrating the work of the committee and suggested that the report be withdrawn.

Reacting, Marafa told his colleagues that the recommendations of the committee were as canvassed by stakeholders during the investigative hearing. The Senate directed the committee to review the report with a view of finding lasting solutions to the perennial scarcity of fuel. It also mandated the committee to investigate alleged fraud in the volume of fuel imported/ consumed in the country. Senate also directed its committee on Public Accounts chaired by Senator Mathew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo) to investigate the secret operation of subsidy regime by the NNPC.