By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and some other stakeholders in the Petroleum Industry, declared yesterday that they should be counted out of any act of economic sabotage in the sector.
Specifically, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, said the company owned by over 200 million Nigerians should be counted out of any act of sabotage.
This came as Dangote Refinery perceived to be at loggerheads with NNPCL on seamless operations, openly stated that 60 per cent of its crude oil is provided for by NNPCL.
The rebuttal of alleged economic sabotage was publicly made by the Minister of State, Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Kyari, and the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, during presentations before Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged economic sabotage in the Petroleum Industry.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Lokpobiri, said at the interactive session the Committee had with stakeholders in the sector that a lot of misinformation has been churned out to the public on roles being played by his Ministry and other agencies in making it inclusive for interested investors.
The planned public hearing by the Committee according to him, would afford Nigerians to know the truth on happenings in the sector.
He said, “Please do us a favour by televising the planned investigative hearing on the alleged economic sabotage in the Petroleum Industry live.”
However, in his revelation over economic sabotage, Kyari said, “We are faithful, loyal, and committed to the greatness of this country. We are not criminals, thieves, or saboteurs as being alleged through wrong narratives.
“NNPCL under our management and by operational guidelines or relevant provisions of PIA, CAMA, etc, is today a profit-making company after about 43 years of losses.
“Today from 1.4 million barrels it was, months back, production level, has increased to 1.65 million barrels per day and will soon hit the expected two million barrels per day.
“There is nothing for NNPCL to sabotage because we are out to maximise 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.
“As requested for by the Hon Minister of State for Petroleum, the planned public hearing on alleged sabotage in the sector, should be televised live for Nigerians to know the truth of situations on the ground.”
Similarly the Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Ahmed, in his 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 telling our own story.
“Gratifyingly, the planned public hearing will give us the appropriate platform of laying our facts bare to Nigerians for them to know who is sabotaging who. The investigation should be public and televised live,” he stressed.
In his presentation, the Group Chief Strategy Officer of Dangote Refinery, Aliyu Sulaiman, said out of the five million crude oil they got in recent times, NNPCL gave them 60 per cent, 20 per cent imported, and 20 per cent 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.
However, in his presentation, a subtle attack was made against Dangote by the National Chairman of the Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN), Adisa Aliyu, who said Dangote declared N133bn profit on sugar sales in Nigeria within the last six months.
He said such a feat was made possible for Dangote by allowing him monopolise the sugar business in Nigeria.
The petroleum sector he added, should not be allowed to be monopolised by any person or company, saying monopoly kills business.
Similarly, the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Alhaji Abubakar Shettima, loudly admonished the committee against monopolies in the petroleum sector.
“The current value chain in the downstream should be sustained to allow other investors to participate. NNPCL is doing its best but should please improve on the supply of products to retail outlets across the country to end the incessant queue at filling stations,” he said.
*Senate probes $1.5bn spent on P/Harcourt Refinery maintenance
Bamidele, who is the Leader of the Senate and Chairman, of the ad-hoc panel investigating the Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry said the Federal Executive Council had approved the plan by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to rehabilitate and turn around the Port Harcourt Refinery with a whopping sum of $1.5bn under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He noted that despite the huge investment, the government-owned refinery is yet to function effectively, a situation that compelled the country to depend almost entirely on the importation of petroleum products.
He specifically mentioned the alleged importation of hazardous petroleum products and substandard diesel into Nigeria arising from the non-functionality of government-owned refineries in Nigeria.
“In 2021, specifically, the Federal Executive Council approved $1.5bn 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.
