How House Rules Stopped National Assembly’s Oil Sabotage Probe
CHIGOZIE AMADI
A strong indication emerged yesterday that the ongoing probe into the sabotage in the nation’s oil and gas sector being undertaken by a joint National Assembly adhoc committee was being delayed in order to comply with the Rules of the House of Representatives.
THISDAY Investigation revealed that the inability by the two chambers to begin the four-day public hearing on the probe from Monday, September 9 to Thursday, September 12 was due to the need to properly constitute the panel in the House of Representatives.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen had in July appointed seven members into the Joint Senate/House Committee tasked with investigating alleged economic sabotage within the petroleum industry.
Prof. Julius Inhovbere was named as the Co-Chairman, while members included Iduma Ighariwey; Gboyega Isiaka; Sada Soli; Fatima Talba; Tunji Raheem; and Patrick Umoh.
The House spokesperson Akin Rotimi, in a statement then said the urgency and importance of the matter had necessitated close collaboration between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The development followed the dissolution of the erstwhile ad-hoc Joint Downstream and Midstream Committees, which were established to investigate critical issues in the oil and gas sector amidst controversies.
At about the same time, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, set up the an adhoc committee led by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, to probe sabotage in the oil and gas sector of the nation’s economy.
Other members of the Bamidele-led ad-hoc committee included Senators Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), Osita Izunaso (Imo West), the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra South), Diket Plang (Plateau Central), TahirMonguno (Borno North) and Abdullah Yahaha (Kebbi North).
He also said the joint hearing would be done in conjunction with the Ihonvbere -led seven member panel of the House of Representatives.
A few day to the commencement of the probe, the Senate Leader in a paid advertisement in some major newspapers announced that assignment had been deferred.
But THISDAY checks however revealed that the fact that the Ihonvbere panel was not properly constituted by the House of Representatives, actually stalled the probe.
The 9th Edition of the House Rules specifically prescribed that such a committee should be announced by the Speaker during plenary and approved by a resolution of the members.
It was learnt that the public hearing had to be postponed because the National Assembly was still on annual vacation penultimate week, and the plenary hadn’t been held to properly constitute the panel.
The House of Representatives confirmed the development in a statement last week, by its spokesperson who announced that the need to properly constitute the adhoc committee was one of the assignments to be undertaken on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Akin Rotimi, in his statement had said: “Upon reconvening, the leadership of the House will inaugurate the new board of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) and the Joint Senate/House Ad Hoc Committees on the Petroleum Industry Investigation on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
“Further details regarding these activities will be announced during plenary on the day of resumption.”
