Senate President Akpabio has called for an investigation into alleged sabotage in Nigeria’s petroleum industry amid the ongoing NMDPRA-Dangote dispute.
By Idowu Isamotu
Tue, 23 Jul 2024 6:07:40 WAT
The Nigerian government is taking steps to resolve the rift between Dangote Industries and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). This comes amid concerns over insecurity and illegal activities in the North West region of the country.
On Monday, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, hosted a crucial meeting with Dangote and officials from NMDPRA. The gathering aimed to address the recent altercations between the two parties.
According to a statement from the minister’s spokesperson, Amaka Okafor, the meeting also included leadership from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The dispute, which has recently gained public attention, revolves around allegations from NMDPRA chief executive Farouk Ahmed that the $19 billion, 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote refinery was producing fuels with high sulfur content, which is below the quality of imported fuels.
Ahmed, speaking in Port Harcourt, stated that the Dangote refinery had not been granted a full license to operate and could not be solely relied upon to meet the country’s fuel needs. He added that there was pressure from the Dangote refinery to halt all diesel and jet fuel imports, despite the higher sulfur content in its products compared to imported fuels.
“The Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage. It has not been licensed yet. We haven’t licensed them yet. They are still in the pre-commissioning stage. I think they’re about 45 percent completed,” Ahmed said.
In contrast, during a recent tour of the refinery in Lagos, Aliko Dangote refuted these claims, asserting that his products were of higher quality than imported fuels. Dangote and his team demonstrated the quality of their diesel by testing samples in front of visitors, showing that the refinery’s products had significantly lower sulfur content than those imported.
To resolve these issues, Lokpobiri convened a high-level meeting with key stakeholders. Present at the meeting were Ahmed, NUPRC’s Gbenga Komolafe, and NNPCL’s Mele Kyari. The stakeholders expressed gratitude for the minister’s leadership and intervention, focusing on finding a sustainable solution to the impasse affecting the Dangote refinery.
In a related development, Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured Nigerians that the Senate would investigate the challenges in the petroleum sector and hold those responsible for sabotage accountable. He inaugurated an ad hoc committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged economic sabotage, emphasizing that the committee’s work was crucial for Nigeria’s economic stability and national security.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has also called for the dismissal of NMDPRA CEO Farouk Ahmed, accusing the agency of losing its ethical and neutral authority and showing a preference for imported petroleum products.
These developments highlight the ongoing challenges and efforts to stabilize Nigeria’s petroleum industry, which is vital for the country’s economic growth and energy security.
News Editor