By Anamati Inyang, November 19, 2025
The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Pre shipment Inspection of Exports and Non Remittance of Crude Oil Proceeds has raised serious concerns that Nigeria is approaching a critical economic breaking point, with massive revenue leakages undermining national growth and stability.
Chairman of the committee, Rep Seyi Sowunmi (LP Lagos), speaking at the opening of a capacity building workshop in Abuja on Tuesday, said Nigeria was losing billions of dollars every year to unverified crude shipments, under declarations, and failure to repatriate export earnings a situation he described as a direct blow to national development.
“For decades, crude oil has been our economic backbone, yet the system is bleeding,” Sowunmi said.
“These leakages are not just numbers they represent lost futures for millions of young Nigerians.”
The lawmaker noted that the irregularities extend beyond crude oil to the country’s non oil export sector and stressed that parliament has a constitutional responsibility to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s revenue framework.
Sowunmi explained that the House established the ad hoc committee after receiving “alarming evidence” of widespread violations of export and pre shipment regulations.
He said the mandate of the committee is to expose institutional lapses, engage major stakeholders, and recommend strong legislative and policy reforms.
“This is not a witch hunt it is a national mission to recover value, close loopholes, and restore confidence in Nigeria’s economic governance.”
Sowunmi added that the workshop was organised to empower lawmakers with the technical knowledge required to analyse complex export data, understand crude oil transaction flows, and make informed decisions.
Experts in international trade compliance, financial intelligence, maritime operations, and forensic auditing are participating as facilitators.
According to him, the capacity building exercise is an investment in “competence, credibility, and national integrity,” and the committee will discharge its duties with transparency and openness.
“Our task is urgent. Nigeria cannot continue to lose foreign exchange due to weak inspection systems or unremitted proceeds,” Sowunmi said.
“We must ensure that every barrel is digitally tracked, every dollar repatriated, and every actor in the export value chain held accountable.”
He stated that the committee intends to steer Nigeria toward a modern export governance system anchored on technology, compliance, and enforceable sanctions.
“This is a moment for legislative leadership. The era of impunity and unaccounted exports is ending,” he declared.
Rep Peter Aniekwe (LP Anambra) also urged committee members to prepare for resistance, noting that entrenched interests would push back as investigations deepen.
“They will fight back. But we must stand firm, do the right thing, and deliver results Nigerians can be proud of,” he cautioned.
The workshop will cover topics such as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Export Framework, Pre Shipment Inspection Processes, Crude Oil Revenue Flow and Repatriation, Investigating Non Remittance, and Oversight and Reform Strategies, among others.
