Refinery: Sack NMDPRA Boss Now To Save Nigeria – HURIWA Tasks Tinubu

A Human Rights organisation, on the aegis of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has said that the hierarchy of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has lost the ethical and neutral authority to exercise its mandate in the face of the clear manifestation of preference for importation of petroleum products.

HURIWA stressed that the antagonistic attitudes of the chief Executive of the Downstream and Midstream petroleum regulator in the country towards the Dangote refinery, has rendered his continuous stay in office ethically disturbing going by the public display of his preferences for the continuous importation of fuel products so the Nigerian population will continue to suffer adversely due to the unrelenting hike in the pump price of petrol and other crude oil products such as diesel and aviation fuel which has aggravated the costs of living affecting millions of Nigerian households.

Accordingly, it called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of national interest and concern, sack Mr Faruk Ahmed as the Chief Executive officer of NMDPRA, and reorganise the hierarchy of the body to infuse patriotism, independence and neutrality.

The Rights group stressed that the only way the President would demonstrate that he is not in support of the deep rooted corruption that has prevented the publicly owned refineries from coming back on stream is to immediately relieve the chief executive officer of the NMDPRA Mr Faruk Ahmed of his position, stressing that his action of publicly running down the activities of the first ever privately built refinery in Nigeria is the most unpatriotic act that any public office holder should not be seen exhibiting.

These were contained in a statement by the National Coordinator of HURIWA, comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in which he noted that the widely publicised fixated position of the NMDPRA boss, Mr Faruk Ahmed that Aliko Dangote’s diesel has more sulphur than imported products turned out to be answer before the question.

HURIWA said that surprisingly, the same agency later turned around to state on Sunday, July 21, 2024 that the regulator was expecting fresh report on Monday to confirm the real sulphur content of the diesel produced by the Dangote refinery, has rendered the head of that government agency as incapable of exercising his authority in such a transparent and competent manner.

Onwubiko stressed that such a high office required moral and professional standards, adding that such a hierarchical position in a regulatory organisation of government demands the highest ethical and neutral standpoint from the regulator.

HURIWA also noted that days after Faruk Ahmed accused Dangote refinery of producing poor quality diesel than the imported products, the same NMDPRA on Sunday stated that about 15 engineers and scientists embedded in the Dangote refinery will publish a fresh report about the refinery’s sulphur content and that the fresh report will be out on Monday.

It further said that the NMDPRA Chief Executive, who was reacting to Dangote’s claim that the organisation was giving licenses to some traders to import dirty fuel into the country, had to counter that it was Dangote fuel that had a larger content of sulphur, adding that the Dangote refinery which has been selling diesel and aviation fuel in Nigeria for months, had not be licensed as it was still at the pre-commissioning stage.

The Rights group also noted that reacting during a tour by members of the House of Representatives led by the Speaker, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, Dangote asserted that products refined at the world’s largest single train refinery are of superior quality compared to the imported fuel.

HURIWA quoted media report as indicating that the Speaker of the House of Representatives and other members observed the testing of Automotive Gas oil from two petrol stations alongside the same taken from the Dangote refinery.

HURIWA said; “We are therefore urging the Nigerian president to do the needful by dismissing the chief executive officer of the NMDPRA now and appoint someone who is a patriot, a professional and someone who is totally neutral and wouldn’t be seen taking sides with the International Oil Companies based in Nigeria as against the indigenous crude oil companies owned privately such as the Dangote refinery amongst others whose products were generally demarketed by the head of the NMDPRA in preference for continuous importation of petroleum products into the Nigeria and to perpetuate the agonising and pathetic suffering of Nigerians”.