Senate, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, who made the announcement on Monday.
The separate ad hoc committees previously established by the Senate and the House of Representatives to conduct the probe will now be merged into one joint committee to carry out the assignment together.
Bamidele serves as the Chairman of the Senate’s ad hoc committee.
The inauguration of the joint committee will take place on Tuesday, September 24, the same day that both chambers will reconvene in Abuja after their annual recess.
In a statement personally signed by Sen. Bamidele on Monday, he wrote, “As we return fully to parliamentary sessions on Tuesday this week, the National Assembly will, without ambiguity, revisit its decision to decisively address the challenges in the petroleum industry.
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“The industry is not performing optimally, which may be linked to crude oil theft, ongoing maintenance of public refineries, the importation of substandard petroleum products, and disruptions in fuel supply, among other issues.
“Contrary to some media reports, the Senate never suspended its Ad-hoc Committee to Investigate Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry; it merely postponed its public hearing to address issues related to the Rules of the National Assembly.
“Today, both chambers of the National Assembly will resolve these issues and possibly constitute a joint committee to continue the investigation from where the ad hoc committee left off.
“We are committed to uncovering the roots of economic sabotage in the petroleum industry in the national interest and developing institutional mechanisms that will make the industry more efficient and functional.”
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Ekiti State also spoke about other activities that will engage the Senate as members resume work, including the anticipated new Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) expected from President Bola Tinubu ahead of the presentation of the estimates for the 2025 budget.
He added, “The consideration of the MTEF occupies a prime place on our legislative agenda.
“This is because the MTEF must be ready before the 2025 Appropriation Bill can be laid before the National Assembly.
“We are also focused on the review of the 1999 Constitution. In the Senate, the Constitution Review Committee is chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin.
“In the coming weeks, the committee will hold retreats and strategy sessions, call for memoranda, and organize zonal meetings on certain sections of our constitution that should be amended.
“Given the expertise of all its members, this exercise promises a truly federative approach that will redefine and reinvent public governance in this country.”
