The House of Representatives has urged the federal government to suspend Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), following his controversial comments on local refineries.
This resolution was passed during a plenary session on Tuesday after adopting a motion of urgent public importance titled “Urgent Need to Address the Outrage Resulting from Unguarded Comments by the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority.” The motion was sponsored by Esosa Iyawe from Edo State.
The dispute between NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery intensified after Ahmed’s remarks on July 18. Ahmed criticised local refineries, including Dangote Petroleum Refinery, alleging they produce inferior products compared to imports. He also claimed that Dangote requested a halt to all petroleum product imports and a directive for oil marketers to exclusively use his refinery. Ahmed argued this situation jeopardises Nigeria’s energy security and market fairness due to potential monopoly.
Dangote Group CEO Aliko Dangote refuted Ahmed’s claims. In response, Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, met with Dangote, Ahmed, Gbenga Komolafe of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Mele Kyari of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited on Monday to address the issue.
Additionally, the House’s joint committee on petroleum resources (downstream and midstream) has initiated an investigation into Ahmed’s statements and allegations that international oil companies are undermining Dangote Refinery.
Moving the motion, Iyawe criticised Ahmed’s comments as “careless,” “unprofessional,” and “unpatriotic,” citing a lack of prior investigation. He argued that Ahmed’s “unguarded” remarks have incited public outrage, with critics accusing the NMDPRA CEO of economic sabotage due to the dangerous compounds found in imported fuel.
The motion was adopted by a voice vote led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. As a result, the House has called for Ahmed’s suspension pending the outcome of ongoing investigations.