The house of representatives has resolved to set up an ad
hoc committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the increment of the
petrol pump price.
The committee will also propose palliative measures to be
taken by the federal government to cushion the effect of the petrol subsidy
removal.
The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during
the plenary session on Wednesday following the adoption of a motion of urgent
public importance sponsored by Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu, a Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) member from Imo.
Oil marketers had on Tuesday increased the pump price of
petrol at retail outlets from N537 to N617 per litre in Abuja and N568 per
litre in Lagos.
The development comes just weeks after the complete
deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector.
Deregulation is the elimination or removal of government
controls over a sector, allowing market forces to determine the prices of
products.
On May 29, President Bola Tinubu announced that the “petrol
subsidy is gone” — a pronouncement which immediately led to a hike in the pump
price of the product across the country.
While moving the motion, Ikeagwuonu said that section 88 (1)
and (2) of the constitution empowers the national assembly to investigate the
activities of any authority executing or administering laws passed by the
parliament.
He said that section 32 of the petroleum industry act, 2021
saddles the Petroleum Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority with the
task of regulating and monitoring technical and commercial midstream and
downstream petroleum operations in Nigeria.
The legislator said the pump price was increased by petrol
marketers “without conferring with the relevant agencies of government”.
“Given the current socio-economic challenges being faced by
Nigerians, a hike in the price of fuel will heap great suffering and hardship
on Nigerians,” he said.
While contributing to the debate, Zakaria Nyampa, a member
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Adamawa, proposed that the house
should ask oil marketers to revert to the old price pending the outcome of the
investigation.
However, his proposal was rejected by the lawmakers when it
was put to a voice vote by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker and presiding
officer.
The substantive motion was voted for when Kalu subjected it
to a vote.
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