Janet Samuel, Abuja
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited ( NNPCL) , Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority ( NMDPRA ) and some other critical stakeholders in the Petroleum industry , declared on Wednesday that they should be counted out of any act of economic sabotage.
During a Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged economic sabotage in the petroleum industry, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum, Mallam Mele Kyari, NNPCL’s Group CEO, and Engineer Farouk Ahmed, NMDPRA’s CEO, delivered strong rebuttals, dismissing claims of economic sabotage and reaffirming their commitment to the industry’s growth.
The Minister of State for Petroleum lamented that misinformation has clouded the public’s understanding of his ministry’s efforts to attract investors and promote inclusivity in the petroleum sector.
The planned public hearing by the Committee according to him , would afford Nigerians to know the truth on happenings in the sector .
In his remarks , the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL , said the Company owned by over 200million Nigerians should be counted out of any act of sabotage.
” There is nothing for NNPCL to sabotage because we are out to maximize value and profits for the country . We are not against any domestic refinery because the laws are clear as far as processes and procedures are concerned.
In the same vein, the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Engr Farouk Ahmed in his brief remarks said the planned public hearing should be televised live for Nigerians to know those indulging in the alleged economic sabotage in the sector .
” A lot of negative stories and narratives have been written and published against us in NMDPRA on how we are carrying out our regulatory functions without us saying telling our own story .
” Gratifyingly , the planned public hearing will give us the appropriate platform of laying our fact bare to Nigerians for them to know who is sabotaging who .
In his presentation, the Group Chief Strategy Officer of Dangote Refinery, Aliyu Sulaiman said out of the 5million crude oil they got in recent time , NNPCL gave them 60% , 20% imported and 20% purchased .
He commended the NNPCL for making the huge supply to Dangote but added that the refinery is a baby that should be supported by all relevant stakeholders to grow and not die .
Similarly , the National President of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria ( IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Shettima in his presentation , loudly admonished the committee against monopoly in the petroleum sector .
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Ad- hoc Committee, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele ( APC Ekiti Central) , said the committee was not out to witch-hunt any body or group of persons but to unravel identities of those sabotaging the petroleum sector .
He mentioned the alleged importation of hazardous petroleum products and substandard diesel into Nigeria arising from non functionality of government owned refineries in Nigeria .
“In 2021, specifically, the Federal Executive Council approved $1.5 billion for the turn-around maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery. Yet, this investment has not yielded significant returns.
“For us, in the Senate, we believe, it is unfair and unpatriotic to treat government businesses or public corporations as an orphan while private businesses are flourishing and thriving”, he said .
The committee has fixed the public hearing for September 10 to 12 , 2024 along with their counterparts from the House of Representatives .
