Reps call for suspension of NMDPRA boss Farouk Ahmed pending investigations

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called for the suspension of the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed pending conclusive investigations into the allegations against the NMDPRA.

This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance that Rep Esosa Iyawe moved during plenary in Abuja.

Iyawe noted that the fuel quality can impact engine hardware, thus ultra-low sulphur diesel is recommended for all types of companies, power plants, storage tanks, industrial facilities, fleets and heavy equipment, and even ships, as high Sulphur content in fuels causes damage to engines and contributes to air pollution.

He said considering the various risks associated with Sulphur, governments around the world have taken steps to regulate it by setting standards that require maximum reduction of emissions of this chemical compound, which diesel producers are expected to adhere to.

According to the Edo Lawmaker, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA) permits local refiners to produce diesel with Sulphur content of up to 650 parts per million (ppm) until January 2025, as approved by the ECOWAS.

He alleged that recently, the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA stated that the diesel produced by the Dangote refinery is inferior to the ones imported into the country, and that their fuel had a large content of Sulphur, which he put at between 650 to 1,200ppm.

He said, “In their defence, Dangote called for a test of their products, which was supervised by Members of the House of Representatives, wherein it was revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a Sulphur content of 87.6 ppm (parts per million), whereas the other two samples diesel imported showed Sulphur levels exceeding 1800 ppm and 2000 ppm respectively, thus disproving the allegations made by the NMDPRA boss.

“Allegations have been made that the NMDPRA was giving licences to some traders who regularly import high-Sulphur content diesel into Nigeria, and the use of such products poses grave health risks and huge financial losses for Nigerians.

“The unguarded statements by the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, which has since been disproved, sparked an outrage from Nigerians who tagged his undermining of local refineries and insistence on the continued importation of fuel an act of economic sabotage, as the imported products have been shown to contain high levels of dangerous compounds.”