According to the House of Representatives, it intends to work with interested parties to look into the alleged loss of over 2.4 billion dollars in income brought on by the smuggling of crude oil.
This was said at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja during the committee’s inaugural meeting by Rep. Mark Gbillah, the chairman of the House ad hoc committee looking into the case.
The lawmaker who promised absolute confidentiality to informants claimed that the investigation was consistent with President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign.
He claimed that even though the incident happened seven years ago, the House needed background information for a thorough investigation and conclusion because it was brought to light in 2020.
Gbillah enlisted the assistance of private citizens and business organizations to help the committee carry out its mission.
Rep. Ganiyu Johnson (APC-Lagos), a committee member, claimed that the House Committee on the State of Refineries visited several of the refineries as part of attempts to revitalize the various refineries in the nation.
He promised that the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries would begin full operation in the first and fourth quarters of 2023.
“We want to assure all the whistleblowers who have revelations to provide to this honourable committee that their information would be treated in the strictest level of confidence.”
“We can receive evidence behind closed doors before we make them public because we too are concerned about spurious and false allegations.”
” So we too want to determine and see the facts behind any such allegations before we bring them to public knowledge because we are a public body saddler with the representation of the Nigerian people,” he said.
