By Seyi Babalola
Membersof the House of Representatives on Thursday described the recent call by Hon. Philip Agbese for the removal of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, and the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), as premature and against parliamentary culture.
Leading a 50-member strong House of Reps group, Hon. Billy Famous Osawaru (Edo State) told journalists in Abuja that it is against the rules of the House to jump to conclusions in a matter that is still under investigation by designated House Committee.
Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, had asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately dismiss Kyari, for allegedly stifling the economy’s growth due to the oil sector issues.
But reacting to the call, Osawaru said it is in the parliamentary culture to afford parties in the investigation the right to a fair hearing and called on the committee handling the probe to be impartial.
He said, “Nigerians will recall hike in fuel prices and associated challenges are fundamental concerns. The House of Representatives vide its resolutions mandated the joint committee of the House on Midstream and Downstream Petroleum to investigate issues in the oil and gas sector.
“We are aware that the investigation is ongoing and a final decision has not been reached.
However, our attention has been drawn to some media reports calling for the removal of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL and the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA while the above investigation is subsisting.
“We wish to state that it is in the parliamentary culture to afford parties in an investigation that right to a fair hearing. Therefore, the call for the removal of anyone while the investigation is pending is premature.
“We therefore call on all Nigerians to be patient and law-abiding in expectation of a better Nigeria.”
The lawmakers also expressed concern about the ongoing protests in the country, saying they converged to further appraise the situation as it affects the well-being of Nigerians.
They appealed for calm and begged all Nigerians to bring the protests to an end.
