By Adewole Kehinde
On Monday, 5th August 2024, the leadership of the House of Representatives dissolved an ad hoc committee investigating Nigeria’s petroleum downstream sector.
The committee, comprising the House Committees on Downstream and Midstream, was relieved of its responsibility due to a lack of transparency.
The panel has been embroiled in controversies, particularly regarding the investigation of the standoff between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDRA).
The joint committee was headed by Mr. Ugochinyere, who has a controversial reputation in the House.
Although a first-time lawmaker, the Imo lawmaker was appointed the Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) chairman after backing Abbas Tajudeen during the speakership election in 2023.
He has been the most controversial fellow even before becoming a lawmaker. Mr. Ugochinyere has consistently exhibited a lack of decorum and responsible conduct befitting his high office.
He is seen by many as an agent provocateur, disseminating blackmail, misinformation, and malicious propaganda, all for personal gain.
I remembered that on Tuesday, 18th June 2024, the Rivers Caucus in the House of Representatives issued a stern rebuke and call for disciplinary action against Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere following his controversial press briefing.
The briefing, which addressed the ongoing discord between the Rivers State Governor, the House of Assembly, and local government chairmen, was labelled as misleading and provocative by the Caucus.
The same Ugochinyere who was alleged to have offered the speaker $1.7 million to be appointed chair of the committee was unfounded.
Aside from dissolving the scandalous 15-man committee by the House of Representatives, there is a need to investigate the activities within the period the committee existed, as there are allegations that
Ugochinyere demanded N2 billion from NNPC Limited.
Rather than facing the crucial task, the Ugochinyere-led committee jumped to a spiteful conclusion that Kyari and the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPR, Farouk Ahmed, should be sacrificed even before
scratching the surface of a thorough investigation.
Only God knows how much the Committee members must have received from Aliko Dangote because I saw biased and one-sided support after the Committee visited the Dangote Refinery.
During their visit to the Dangote Refinery, Ugochinyere and the members of his extortionist ad hoc committee were considerably compromised. They were in a desperate attempt to provide a package that would justify themselves. READ ALSO:
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For motives that are only known to himself but which hardly align with the public interest, Ugochinyere has egregiously abused his authority as head of the Ad-hoc House Committee on Petroleum Products.
The time to probe the activities of the scandalous 15-man committee by the House of Representatives is now.
One year into his term as a lawmaker, Hon. Ugochinyere has rather doubled down on infamy, dishonour, and disreputable behaviour.
_Adewole Kehinde is a Public Affairs Analyst based in Abuja, 08166240846, kennyadewole@gmail.com_
