Call for suspension of NMDPRA CEO by lawmakers over alleged criticism of Dangote Refinery
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s chief executive officer, Farouk Ahmed, has been placed on leave by the House of Representatives while investigations into his purportedly candid remarks on Dangote Refinery are completed.
Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has come under fire from the House of Representatives for remarks he is claimed to have made on the Dangote Refinery.
During Tuesday’s plenary, the MPs approved a resolution moved by Esosa Iyawe, a member representing the Esosa Federal Constituency in Edo State. Iyawe declared that since fuel quality might affect engine hardware, allegations of tampered fuel in the Nigerian market need to be looked into in detail.
He stated that because high sulfur concentration in fuels damages engines and adds to air pollution, ultra-low sulfur diesel is advised for all kinds of power plants, storage tanks, industrial facilities, fleets, and heavy equipment.
Representatives demand that NMDPRA Boss be suspended due to purported anti-Dangote refinery remarks.
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Farouk, cited by the legislator, claimed that the Dangote Refinery’s diesel is of lower quality than imported fuel due to its elevated sulfur level, which ranges from 650 to 1,200 parts per million.
However, Iyawe said that a test overseen by members of the House of Representatives showed that the sulfur content of Dangote’s fuel was 87.6 parts per million, while the sulfur content of imported diesel exceeded 1800 and 2000 parts per million.
Farouk’s statement was denounced by Iyawe as “unguarded, unprofessional, and unpatriotic.”
He claimed that the head of the NMDPRA was licensing dealers that import diesel with excessive sulfur content, endangering the health of Nigerians and costing them money.
Farouk’s accusations against Dangote Refinery are being looked at by a joint House committee, which is also undertaking a legislative forensic investigation into the involvement of middlemen in the trading of oil and the purported lack of international standard laboratories to verify tainted products.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
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