The House of Representatives yesterday rejected a motion seeking to stop marketers from selling petrol at the new pump prices announced on Tuesday by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
But, the House resolved to investigate the hike by summoning NNPCL Group Managing Director Mele Kyari and the management of oil marketing firms.
It also asked its ad hoc committee to propose palliatives to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians.
The sponsor of the motion, Ikenga Ugochinyere, had asked that Kyari and oil marketers be invited by the committee to explain what led to the increase.
Ugochinyere said that Section 88 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution empower the National Assembly to conduct investigations into the activities of any authority executing or administering laws made by the National Assembly.
He added that Section 32 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 saddles the Petroleum Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority with the task of regulating and monitoring technical, commercial midstream and downstream petroleum operations in Nigeria.
The lawmaker reminded his colleagues that the NNPCL on Tuesday increased the pump price of petrol from N537 to N617 in Abuja and other parts of the country.
During the debate on another motion, the House advised the Federal Government to revive its public mass and urban transit schemes to make the cost of commuting cheap.
It said this could be done through public and private partnerships.
The House also resolved to probe the failure of the schemes.
The decision followed a motion sponsored by Olumide Osoba, Kama Nkemkanma and Princess Miriam Onuoha.
Osoba, who presented the motion, said the cost of transportation across the country had tripled due to the removal of subsidy.
The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has directed its members to work for only two days a week.
COEASU, which premised the directive on the new prices of petrol, lamented that the development had led to higher costs of transportation, food and other essential commodities.
President of COEASU, Smart Olugbeko, said in a statement that workers could no longer bear the pains caused by subsidy removal.
The statement reads in part,
“The implementation of the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government two months ago raised the price of a litre of petrol by 250 percent. This worsened inflationary rate on the cost of transportation, food and other essential commodities and impoverished the Nigerian people.
“Workers, including staff of Colleges of Education, kept faith with the government and chose to endure the untold hardship thinking it would be only for a while as the government promised to roll out palliative measures including a significant increase in salaries.
“While our capabilities to sustain hope were already exhausted, the price of petrol rose further went up to N650 per litre.
“Against this backdrop, it has become inevitable for the union to direct members to go to work only two days weekly while an emergency NEC meeting shall be convened to ratify this decision and decide on the specific days of the week members are to go to work.”
The union called on the President to quickly address the issue of salary adjustment for staff of Colleges of Education.
In Ondo State, workers yesterday urged the administration of Rotimi Akeredolu to roll out palliatives for them and the masses.
They said that the rising cost of transportation and food items was caused by the government. In a joint statement after an emergency meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and Joint Negotiating Council, the workers also demanded immediate payment of all their outstanding salaries and allowances.
The statement, however, called for calm and urged workers to await further directives.
