Renewed hope group asks Tinubu to probe ‘fuel import surge’

The Renewed Hope Afenifere Concerned Supporters and Energy Reforms Advocates of Nigeria have raised the alarm over alleged massive fuel importation into the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, Isijola Shola, the convener of the group, said the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) promised Nigerians that the perennial petrol queues in the country would become a thing of the past but has failed to fulfill the promise.

The group further asked President Bola Tinubu to order a probe into the activities of NNPCL in order to clean up the agency.

“NNPCL, despite its claim of having bounced back, has continued to import refined petroleum products. Industry data proves this,” the group said.

“In January this year alone, NNPCL superintended the importation of 489,065 Metric Tonnes of Petrol and Diesel of which it was directly responsible for 72.25% of the volume, which means it is responsible for three-quarters of all imported refined petroleum products this year.

“In the last quarter of last year, that is, from October 1 to December 31, 2024, importation stood at a combined 3,638,118.41 metric tonnes for petrol and diesel, for which the percentage of NNPC importation is 68.77%, which is almost two-thirds of what was imported. In this period, NNPCL was responsible for 41 shipments.

“To better understand what is happening here, one needs to recall that this surge in the importation of refined products was at a time NNPCL claimed it had restreamed Port Harcourt and Warri refineries and was even exporting semi-refined products to Dubai.

“We have also noted how the naira lost significant value within this period that NNPCL was massively importing petrol while claiming otherwise.

“Ordinarily, we would ask NNPCL to explain what has happened to make Nigeria’s petroleum importation surge at a time when they are touting local refining capacity. Mr President would serve the interest of Nigerians by immediately ordering an independent probe of how and why he was misled about the NNPCL’s refining capacity.”