Senate Chief Whip Olusola Adeyeye on Wednesday said he would bring a motion to the floor regarding President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to unbundle the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying the action was illegal.
Adeyeye chided Buhari’s federal government for allegedly not having consulted the National Assembly, echoing claims by two major trade unions, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, which said they too were in the dark about the nature of the decision to unbundle the state entity into independent units.
Adeyeye’s announcement follows protests that began earlier on the day and which crippled NNPC offices and facilities across Nigeria, sparking fears of fuel shortages and a prolonged industry shutdown.
Meanwhile, the senate in a on Wednesday address to the group managing director of the corporation, expressed shock and summoned the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu to appear before the Joint Committee of Senate on Upsteam, Downstream and Gas on Thursday, March 10.
According to letter signed by Senate Committee chairman on Downstream, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, we are shocked by the announcement in disbelief, three committees overseeing the industry wish to invite minister to appear before them to brief them on the decision of the corporation.
