Senate to probe importation of ‘substandard’ diesel, petrol into Nigeria

The senate has constituted an ad hoc committee to investigate the “importation of hazardous petroleum products and dumping of substandard diesel into the country”.

During plenary on Wednesday, the upper chamber also appointed Opeyemi Bamidele, majority leader of the senate, to lead other 14 lawmakers to unravel the masterminds behind the illicit practice and transaction.

Members of the ad hoc committee comprise lawmakers Adams Oshiomhole, Abdul Ningi, Osita Izunazo, Ifeanyi Uba, Diket Plang, Mohammed Monguno, Abdullah Yahaha, Olamilekan Solomon, Khabeeb Mustapha, Shahabi Ya’u, and Tokunbo Abiru.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio set up the ad hoc committee at the plenary after Asuquo Ekpenyong, a lawmaker, moved a motion on the urgent need to probe the issue.

Ekpeyong cited a report on June 16 as stating that 12 diesel cargoes conveying a total of 660 kilotons of diesel, were exported by refineries to offshore Lome, Togo for “further distribution to West African markets, mainly Nigeria”.

He said the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), despite revising diesel importation standards in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, has been “unable to enforce compliance”.

The politician said a ban on the importation of diesel would be beneficial to the Nigerian petroleum industry and indeed the entire nation and as such, “NMDPRA should cease import licenses in order to address all concerns”.

Consequently, Akpabio highlighted the need for the senate to immediately investigate and unravel those behind the hazardous practice.

On June 23, Devakumar Edwin, vice-president, oil and gas at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), lamented the activities of the NMDPRA in granting licences indiscriminately to marketers to “import dirty refined products into the country”.