The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources Downstream has intervened in the riff between Dangote, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and other key players in the oil sector.
The committee summoned Dangote and the NMDPRA boss, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, and urged the parties to stay action on their dispute.
The committee explained that it summoned the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and the leadership of the NMDPRA to provide detailed explanations on the issues fueling the dispute.
Honourable Ikenga Ugochinyere the committee Chairman expressed concern over the tension generated by the riff between the Dangote and the agency.
He told journalists that the growing tension is capable of undermining the fragile stability recently achieved in the sector.
He added:“The key issue that necessitated this emergency meeting was the growing tension that has returned to the downstream sector as a result of concerns raised by Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the NMDPRA.”
“This is coming at a time when the committee is jealously guarding the stability that has been achieved in the sector.”
He explained that only a clear understanding of the underlying problems would enable the National Assembly to broker lasting solutions.
Ugochinyere said:“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.”
The committee Chairman, who also appealed to both parties to halt public exchanges and media comments while legislative intervention is ongoing, added that “we resolved to plead with the contending parties to cease fire, especially media comments, so that the situation does not escalate further.
The committee, he said, has the capacity to wade into this matter and find solutions once and for all.”
He disclosed that the committee has already received petitions touching on critical industry concerns, including the issuance of import licences and questions around whether domestic refineries have the capacity to meet Nigeria’s daily petroleum needs.
“These are serious issues. Some relate to import licences, others to whether local refineries can produce enough to satisfy national demand,” he said.
Ugochinyere 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.
He reiterated the committee’s appeal,and urged all parties to suspend further accusations while the House works to resolve the dispute in the national interest.
He added:“We are pleading with them to cease further attacks on each other,whether from the regulatory agency or the refining community,while the committee sorts out these issues.”
