The House Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) disclosed its decision after an emergency meeting convened to address what it described as “growing tension” within the industry.
The House of Representatives has stepped into Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, summoning the leadership of the Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) while ordering an immediate halt to hostilities between both parties.
The intervention followed public concerns, allegations and counter-claims involving the Dangote Refinery leadership and the NMDPRA, which lawmakers warned could threaten the fragile stability recently achieved in the sector.
The House Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) disclosed its decision after an emergency meeting convened to address what it described as “growing tension” within the industry.
The committees are chaired by Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and Hon. Henry Okogie.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Ugochinyere said the committee resolved to summon the parties involved to present their grievances and allegations for immediate legislative resolution.
He added that the committee also directed that all public exchanges and media comments should stop pending the outcome of its investigation, which he said would be concluded swiftly.
According to him, “The key issue that necessitated this emergency meeting was the growing tension that has returned to the downstream sector as a result of concerns and allegations raised by Alhaji Aliko Dangote against the NMDPRA.”
He added, “This is coming at a time when the committee is jealously guarding the stability that has been achieved in the sector.”
Ugochinyere explained that the lawmakers were compelled to act quickly to prevent further escalation, particularly as government and industry stakeholders are working to stabilise supply, pricing and regulation in the post-subsidy era.
He said the committee resolved to formally invite both the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and the leadership of the NMDPRA to appear before it and provide detailed explanations on the issues fuelling the dispute.
“We can only find sustainable solutions when we identify the critical issues leading to this tension. That is why the committee resolved to write to Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the NMDPRA chief to meet with us and give insights into what is driving these allegations and counter-allegations,” he said.
He stressed that all outstanding matters would be thoroughly examined when key stakeholders in the refining and regulatory space appear before the committee.
“By the time Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the NMDPRA and other stakeholders meet with the committee, we will get the real gist of what is happening and come up with resolutions that provide sustainable solutions for the sector,” he assured.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Dangote, on Sunday alleged that the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, spent about $5 million on the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland, calling for a full investigation and a public explanation.
Dangote made the allegation during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where he spoke extensively on what he described as regulatory failures and alleged corruption in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
According to Dangote, the alleged expenditure is inconsistent with the earnings of a career public servant and, if left unaddressed, could undermine public trust and investor confidence in the sector.
“I’ve actually had people making complaints about a regulator who has put his children in secondary school abroad,” Dangote said.
“That secondary school education, which is six years for four children, allegedly cost about $5 million. You cannot imagine somebody paying $5 million just to educate four children in secondary school.”