Reps ask FG to suspend NMDPRA CEO over ‘unguarded comments’ on Dangote refinery

The house of representatives has asked the federal government to suspend Farouk Ahmed, chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over “unguarded comments”.

The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during plenary session on Tuesday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Esosa Iyawe from Edo.

The motion was titled ‘Urgent Need to Address the Outrage Resulting from Unguarded Comments by the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority’.

The NMDPRA and Dangote refinery have been embroiled in a dispute that began recently.

On July 18, Ahmed said local refineries, including the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, were producing inferior products compared to the ones imported into the country.

He also said Dangote requested all importation of petroleum products — especially automotive gas oil (AGO) or jet kero — be suspended or stopped, and all oil marketers be directed to his refinery.

This, Ahmed said, is not good for Nigeria in terms of energy security and also not good for markets because of monopoly.

Aliko Dangote, CEO of Dangote Group, denied Ahmed’s claims.

On Monday, Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state petroleum resources (oil), met with Dangote, Ahmed, Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Mele Kyari, group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, to resolve the matter. 

The house of representatives joint committee on petroleum resources (downstream and midstream) has also launched a probe into Ahmed’s claims.

The committee is also investigating the allegations that international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria are frustrating the survival of the Dangote refinery.

‘CARELESS STATEMENT, UNPROFESSIONAL’

Moving the motion, Iyawe described Ahmed’s statement as “careless,” as well as “unprofessional and unpatriotic” in the wake of calls for protest against the federal government.

Iyawe said Ahmed made the statement without conducting any prior investigation.

The lawmaker said the “unguarded statement” by the NMDPRA CEO has “sparked outrage from Nigerians who tagged his undermining of local refineries and insistence on the continued importation of fuel an act of economic sabotage, as the imported products have been shown to contain high levels of dangerous compounds”.

The motion was adopted when it was put to a voice vote by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house.

Consequently, the lower chamber asked the federal government to suspend the NMDPRA CEO pending the conclusion of the investigations into the claims.