News

By Inalegwu Shaibu
ABUJA— Senate committee on Petroleum (Downstream), yesterday, summoned the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her Petroleum Resources counterpart, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to appear before it and explain the cause of the recent scarcity of fuel in the country.

Group Managing Direc-tor, Nigeria National Petro-leum Corporation, NNPC, Mr. Austin, has also been summoned by the Commi-ttee following spate of fuel scarcity across the country.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Magnus Abe, who issued the summon in Abuja, said the Senate is worried about the increasing queues at filling stations, despite the reintroduction of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

He said: “The Senate is concerned by what is happening in the country today regarding the availability of petroleum products for our local consumption. We have asked the key players to come before us to explain why there is no fuel in our filling stations.”

Those to also appear before the committee in relation to the scarcity includes: Managing Director of the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, Mr. Morrison Fiddi; Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, Mr. Reginald Stanley; Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Mr. Austin Olorunshola.

The committee also summoned the President of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, and the Executive Secretary of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN.

All those invited are scheduled to appear before the Senate tomorrow by noon.