The House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated the joint committees on Petroleum Midstream and Downstream to investigate the recent call for the dismissal of Mr. Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over his unguarded comments regarding local refineries.
The resolution was passed following the adoption of an amendment to a motion on the ‘Urgent Need to Address the Outrage Resulting from Unguarded Comments by the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority,’ sponsored by Hon. Esosa Iyawe.
In his lead debate, Hon. Iyawe noted that fuel quality can impact engine hardware, thus ultra-low sulfur diesel is recommended for all types of companies, power plants, storage tanks, industrial facilities, fleets, heavy equipment, and even ships, as high sulfur content in fuels causes damage to engines and contributes to air pollution.
He also highlighted that, due to the risks associated with sulfur, governments around the world have implemented regulations to reduce emissions of this chemical compound, which diesel producers are expected to adhere to.
He mentioned that the House is aware that NMDPRA permits local refiners to produce diesel with a sulfur content of up to 650 parts per million (ppm) until January 2025, as approved by ECOWAS.
Hon. Iyawe further noted that the Chief Executive of NMDPRA recently stated that diesel produced by the Dangote refinery is inferior to imported fuel and contains a higher sulfur content, estimated between 650 and 1,200 ppm.
The lawmaker pointed out that in defense, Dangote requested a test of their products, supervised by Members of the House of Representatives, which revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a sulfur content of 87.6 ppm, while the sulfur levels in two samples of imported diesel were found to exceed 1,800 ppm and 2,000 ppm, respectively. This data disproves the allegations made by the NMDPRA boss.
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He expressed concerns that there are allegations that NMDPRA has been granting licenses to traders who regularly import high-sulfur content diesel into Nigeria, posing significant health risks and financial losses for Nigerians.
“The House is also concerned that the unguarded statements by the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, which have since been disproved, sparked outrage among Nigerians who view his undermining of local refineries and insistence on continued fuel importation as acts of economic sabotage, given that the imported products contain high levels of dangerous compounds.
“The House is worried that the careless statement by the Chief Executive of NMDPRA, made without any prior investigation, is not only unprofessional but also unpatriotic, especially in the face of recent protests against the Federal Government.”
Following the adoption of the motion, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas referred the matter to the Special Committee on Midstream and Downstream, which was earlier mandated to investigate the alleged importation of adulterated petroleum products and the scarcity of crude oil for refineries, to offer recommendations.
