…Says Petitioners Failed To Back Allegations With Evidence
…Extends NIPCO Investigation By 14 Days
The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) on Monday dismissed allegations of abuse of office and conflict of interest against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) Executive Vice President (Downstream), Dr Mumuni Dagazu.
The decision was announced by the committee’s chairman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, after considering a report presented by Ibrahim Al-Mustapha, a member of the committee, on a petition submitted by the Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in the Nigerian Petroleum Sector.
The committee said the petitioners failed to substantiate their allegations against Dagazu despite being given an opportunity to present supporting documents.
Ugochinyere said the committee had referred the petition to a sub-committee for investigation and invited both the petitioners and the NNPC Ltd official to appear before it.
“This committee received a petition from a group, calling itself the Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in the Nigerian Petroleum Sector against the EVP Downstream, the petition made allegations of conflict of interest. As a responsible committee of the House, we did not ignore the petition; we referred it to our sub-committee, and both sides were invited to appear.
“The petitioners appeared once, on Wednesday, the 21st of October, to support allegations as grave as abuse of office and money laundering. They brought nothing but newspaper clippings. The sub-committee gave them the opportunity to return on the following days with valid documents. They did not return on Friday. They simply abandoned the petition that they had brought,” he said.
According to the chairman, Dagazu honoured the committee’s invitation through his legal representative, who responded to questions from the sub-committee.
He added that the sub-committee also considered an existing court order relating to the matter before reaching its decision.
“The sub-committee also took notice of a subsisting order of court on related matters. Out of respect for the judiciary, the sub-committee cited a judgment delivered at the Federal High Court in Warri, and the last part of it gave a perpetual injunction, restraining the National Assembly and its committee from entertaining further petitions, or issuing summons or bench warrants on any step taken against him.
“As a responsible arm of government, since there is a final judgment, the sub-committee also respected that. Having considered the report of the subcommittee, this committee has resolved today to dismiss the petition in its entirety,” Ugochinyere said.
Explaining the decision, the chairman said the committee found no evidence supporting the allegations.
“No evidence was placed before us in support of any of the allegations. Let me say this plainly, an allegation is not evidence, and a newspaper clipping is not proof. The committee has also condemned in strong terms the submission of this frivolous petition,” he said.
Ugochinyere warned that petitioners who make serious allegations against public officers without providing evidence risk abusing the legislative process and damaging the reputations of those they accuse.
“The time of this committee is the time of the Nigerian people. When petitioners bring weighty allegations against public officers, attract public attention, and then fail to substantiate them, or even to return, they abuse the processes of the National Assembly, and damage the reputation of those who serve the nation.
“We will not allow our committee to be used as a platform for unsubstantiated attacks on public officers,” he said.
He, however, said the dismissal would not prevent the committee from investigating credible allegations of wrongdoing against public officials within its jurisdiction.
“Let me make this clear, this decision does not close the doors of the committee. Any Nigerian with any evidence of wrongdoing by any public officer in any agency within our jurisdiction is welcome to bring it before us. And we will look into it with no fear or favour.
“What we ask is evidence,” he added.
The chairman subsequently outlined developments in the downstream petroleum sector, including crude oil supply to domestic refineries, fuel pricing, refinery rehabilitation and the expansion of compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure.
He said the committee had received a technical report identifying four priorities for the sector: securing crude oil supply to domestic refineries on fair commercial terms, regulating fuel imports and protecting product quality, strengthening oversight against monopolies and exploitative pricing, and securing downstream infrastructure, including the expansion of CNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
According to Ugochinyere, the report also identified pipeline security as essential to maintaining product supply and called for the enforcement of the domestic crude supply obligation.
“There is no supply security without pipeline security.
“Local refining has changed the national equation. Importation must be a supplement, not a permanent substitute for what we can produce at home. And the domestic crude supply obligation must be enforced, not merely decided,” he said.
The chairman said the committee had been informed that domestic refineries received 97.4 per cent of their allocated crude volumes under the domestic crude supply obligation in the second quarter of 2026.
He added that domestic crude accounted for more than 80 per cent of the crude received by Nigerian refineries between January and September 2026.
Ugochinyere also said the regulator had recorded no supply shortfalls and more than 25 days of national sufficiency, while the contribution of domestic refineries to petrol supply had risen by more than 75 per cent.
He said the committee had agreed with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to increase national sufficiency to 45 days in the current quarter and build strategic reserves sufficient for up to 90 days by 2027.
On fuel prices, Ugochinyere said rising global crude oil prices had increased pressure on Nigerian consumers, adding that any intervention to ease the burden should be targeted and financially sustainable.
He said returning to the former petrol pump price would cost the Federal Government more than N20tn annually, based on its estimate of national consumption of about 50 million litres per day.
The chairman also cited NNPC Ltd’s reported decision to reduce its pump price in Abuja and Lagos through a N66-per-litre discount from October 1, 2026.
He said the Federal Government announced on October 8 that NNPC Ltd would relinquish its profit margin and sell petrol at cost for 30 days, with priority given to commercial transport operators.
“This relief does not come from the treasury; it comes from the margin of NNPC Ltd Retail. It is, therefore, not a return to subsidy, which we asked and are clear on that. But the responsible use of national assets to protect Nigerians in the time of crisis,” he said.
Ugochinyere further said prospective technical partners had conducted site assessments at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries as part of efforts to restore their operations.
