NMDPRA chief suspended for comment on Dangote refinery – MPs inform Tinubu

The Nigerian House of Representatives has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, pending the completion of an investigation into his comments on the status of Dangote’s refined petroleum products.

The call came following the adoption of a motion of urgent public interest by Esosa Iyawe after the House of Representatives highlighted the impasse between the Dangote refinery and the authority.

According to Iyawe, fuel quality can affect engine hardware, so ultra-low sulphur diesel is recommended for all types of businesses, power plants, storage tanks, industrial plants, fleets and heavy machinery and even ships as high sulphur content in fuels causes engine damage and contributes to air pollution.

The Edo MP said sulphur dioxide also has devastating environmental and health consequences as it can damage the human respiratory system, impair lung function and even cause cancer.

“The ill-advised statements by the Chairman of the Board of NMDPRA, which have since been refuted, sparked a storm of indignation among the Nigerian people, who described his undermining of local refineries and his insistence on continued importation of fuel as an act of economic sabotage, as the imported products were proven to contain high concentrations of dangerous compounds.”

This came after the House of Representatives Committee on Midstream and Downstream on Monday launched an investigation into the dispute between Ahmed and Dangote Group Chairman Aliko Dangote.

DAILY POST notes that Ahmed’s claim that the petroleum products of the Dangote refinery were substandard had triggered a wide range of allegations and counter-allegations from both parties over the past four days.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, on Monday took steps to resolve the crisis between NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery.