Senate postpones public hearing on sabotage in petroleum industry

The senate has postponed its public hearing on allegations of sabotage in the petroleum industry. 

Speaking in a statement on Sunday, Opeyemi Bamidele, majority leader of the senate, said the decision was based on the need for wider consultations with stakeholders whose inputs would add value to the conclusion of the investigative hearing.

He also cited “legislative demands aimed at deepening due diligence” in the conduct of the exercise as another reason for the postponement.

The senate ad-hoc committee on alleged economic sabotage in the Nigerian petroleum industry had invited heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) and stakeholders for an interactive session on August 7.

After the engagement — which also involved some private oil firms — the panel subsequently scheduled the investigative hearing from September 10 to 12. 

However, the event was postponed after due consultation with committee members and key actors in the petroleum industry, according to Bamidele.

The cancellation comes a day the programme is expected to hold.

Explaining the rationale for the deferment, Bamidele said the prevailing realities in the country, which demand urgent interventions of stakeholders in the public and private sectors, also informed the resolve for the rescheduling.

He said the decision was taken in the best interest of the federation and its teeming population.

“While we deeply regret all inconveniences it may have caused all the stakeholders collectively or individually, this decision was taken purely and solely in the national interest,” the lawmaker said.

Bamidele said the shift would allow the committee to take a comprehensive approach to the public hearing and find lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the petroleum sector.

He, therefore, assured that a new date would be communicated soon.