POLITICAL Economy

Reps Raise Concerns Over NASS, Fuel Marketers' Relations

by admin on | 2026-07-29 12:31:07

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By Ahmad Sirajo Makama, Abuja

The House of Representatives says the relationship between the National Assembly and petroleum product distributors has for long been distant, limiting direct engagement with key industry players.

Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikenga Ugochinyere, stated this at an interactive session with executives of the Petroleum Marketers’ Association and domestic refiners on importation and local refining in Abuja.

“We have read about you in the news. We have heard about your struggles in reports. We have debated your challenges in our chambers, often without you in the room to speak for yourselves. That era ends today.

“We are here today not to interrogate, not to accuse and not to put anyone on trial. We are here to listen. We are here to talk to one another as partners who share one common destiny: a Nigeria where energy is affordable, where supply is stable and where no citizen is made to suffer for products that should ordinarily be within reach,” Ugochinyere said.

He said the committee had resolved that no policy affecting the downstream sector would be formulated without direct input from stakeholders.

“We cannot regulate what we do not understand, and we cannot understand what we have not heard directly from those who live it every single day. That is why we have summoned you, not to a hearing, but to a conversation. That is why this room is small, deliberately, so that we can speak plainly, and hear plainly, without the theatre that sometimes accompanies larger engagements,” he said.

Ugochinyere noted that Nigeria stands at a critical point in its energy history.

“Domestic refining capacity is growing. Importation dynamics are shifting. Pipeline security remains a national priority. And through it all, you, the marketers, the depot owners, the independent operators and the major players, are the bridge between policy and the pump. When that bridge is strong, Nigerians feel it in stable prices and steady supply. When that bridge is strained, the whole nation feels it too,” he said.

He urged stakeholders to speak candidly in the interest of Nigerians.

“ So today, we ask you to speak freely. Tell us where importation regulations help you and where they hurt you. Tell us what domestic refining truly means for your businesses and for the millions of Nigerians who depend on you. Tell us what has worked, what has failed, and what this Committee must do differently. We are prepared to listen with open minds and to act with open hearts, guided only by the national interest,” he noted.

He said the committee would prioritise partnership, dialogue and understanding in its engagements with industry players.

He added that the session marked a turning point in relations between marketers and lawmakers, shifting towards collaboration.

In his submission, Executive Secretary of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Olufemi Adewole, highlighted challenges facing the sector.

He lamented that depot workers had not undergone training in the past year.

“ The general challenges currently confronting marketers in the downstream sector, issues relating to importation regulations and their impact on operations. Issues relating to domestic refining, including engagement with local refineries and its effect on supply and pricing,” Adewole said.

He called for periodic review of the petroleum supply chain in Nigeria and assured the committee of continued cooperation.

Similarly, Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Abubakar Shettima, said petroleum product prices fluctuate due to international factors.

He added that marketers pass taxes to consumers as they cannot absorb the costs alone.

On his part, Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Clement Isong, said the association complies with all safety regulations in the sector.

He suggested increased government involvement in importation and price regulation.

Lawmakers also raised concerns on road safety and oil price fluctuations, among other issues.

In his closing remarks, Ugochinyere called for sustained partnership to ensure energy security in Nigeria.