Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed that investigation of alleged economic sabotage in the petroleum sector by Ad – hoc committees separately set up by both the 10th Senate and the House of Representatives in July, will now be jointly handled by both chambers.
Senator Bamidele, who doubles as the Chairman of the investigative Adhoc committee, stated this in an issued press statement personally signed by him on Monday.
He says: ‘As we return fully to the parliamentary sessions on Tuesday this week, the National Assembly will without ambiguity, revisit its decision to decisively address challenges in the petroleum industry’.
The statement further added that: “the industry is not optimal in its performance. This may not be unconnected to crude oil theft, endless turnaround maintenance of public refineries, importation of substandard petroleum products and disruption of fuel supply, among others.
“Contrary to some media reports, the Senate never suspended its Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, but postponed its public hearing due to the need to address issues that border on the Rules of the National Assembly.
“Today, both chambers of the National Assembly will resolve the issues and possibly constitute a joint committee that will continue with the investigation from where the ad-hoc committee stopped. We are committed to unearthing the roots of economic sabotage in the petroleum industry in the national interest and developing institutional mechanisms that will make the industry more efficient and functional”.
He added that both chambers are expecting the new Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) from the Executive which he says are integral parts of the yearly budget preparation, consideration and approval.
The statement added that “In the coming weeks, the Committee will hold retreats and strategy sessions; call for memoranda and organise zonal meetings on some sections of our Constitution that should be amended.
“Given the pedigrees of all its members, this exercise no doubt promises a truly federative approach that will redefine and reinvent public governance in this country, he added.
