A resolution to stop the most recent increase in the price of petrol was rejected by the Nigerian House of Representatives.

Ugochinyere Ikenga, a member of the House, had requested an investigation into the hikes in petrol prices after the termination of the petrol subsidy in a resolution of urgent public significance that was brought up in plenary on Wednesday. Also, he urged lawmakers to take measures to restore the previous prices of N537 per litre in Abuja and N481 in Lagos.

The House rejected the motion and decided to look into the rapid rise in petrol prices and the ensuing increase in transportation costs nationwide.

The House said that since it had already decided to look into the increase, doing so would amount to preempting its own work.

It requested that oil marketers and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s group managing director, Mele Kyari, testify before an ad hoc committee to discuss the hike.

To lessen the impact of the loss of subsidies, the ad hoc committee is also looking for ways to guarantee the proper distribution of palliatives to Nigerians.

The House also rejected a move to create an Ad-hoc Committee to gather opinions from politicians, civil society organisations, and the general people and consult with the administration on the best palliative measures to mitigate the effects of Nigeria’s suspension of fuel subsidies.

The motion’s proposer, Honourable Dennis Agbo, had stated that it would be best for Nigerians to decide which palliatives would work best for them. He also expressed concern about how little the proposed monthly cash handout of N8,000 can accomplish for a chosen household of five people given the current potential for inflation.