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The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has commenced efforts to ease growing tension between importers of petroleum products and domestic refiners.
Consequently, the committee on Tuesday met with stakeholders in the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry to explore ways of charting a common path towards energy security and sustainable industry reforms.
The meeting was attended by the leadership of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN).
The committee chairman, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, while speaking at the interactive session, said the meeting reflected the House’s commitment to inclusive lawmaking. He noted that reforms in the downstream petroleum sector would be driven by dialogue rather than confrontation.
According to him, the parliament would continue to prioritise constructive engagement over confrontation in carrying out its oversight and legislative responsibilities.
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Ugochinyere said: “We are here 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, supply is stable and no citizen suffers because petroleum products are out of reach.”
He explained that the country is at a defining moment in its energy transition, with increasing domestic refining capacity, evolving import dynamics, and renewed efforts to improve pipeline security and distribution efficiency.
According to him, “The marketers, depot owners, independent operators, and major marketers remain the bridge between government policy and the pump. When that bridge is strong, Nigerians enjoy stable prices and reliable supply. When it is weak, the entire nation feels the consequences.”
IPMAN, in a presentation by its National President, Abubakar Shettima, identified the challenges confronting the sector as including high financing costs, multiple taxation, foreign exchange volatility, inadequate storage and transportation infrastructure, pipeline vandalism, and limited access by independent marketers to refinery products, among others.
IPMAN implored the House committee to champion reforms that would improve logistics, deepen market competition, reduce distribution costs, encourage investment, and guarantee the availability and affordability of petroleum products nationwide.
