The Senate has postponed its public hearing on the alleged sabotage within the petroleum industry, which was aimed at addressing the ongoing crisis in the sector. Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader and Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee investigating the issue, announced this decision in a statement on Sunday.
Previously, the Senate had summoned key stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dangote Refinery, and the Nigeria Ports Authority, to a public hearing scheduled for September 10 to 12, 2024.
However, the Senate has now decided to postpone the hearing to allow for broader consultations with more stakeholders both within and outside the petroleum industry, and to ensure due diligence in the investigation. The Senate expressed regret for any inconvenience caused, stating that the postponement was made purely in the national interest.
This development follows the recent petrol price hike by the NNPCL, which has sparked calls from the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and other Nigerians for an immediate reversal.
