Abuja, Nigeria – In a decisive move, the House of Representatives has called for the suspension of the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority (NMDPRA) pending a thorough investigation into allegations against the Authority.
The decision came after Honorable Esosa Iyawe raised a motion of urgent public importance regarding the need to address the controversy stemming from recent remarks by the NMDPRA chief. Iyawe highlighted the immediate necessity to resolve the disruption caused by what he described as “reckless remarks” from the Authority’s head.
“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,” Hon. Iyawe stated.
The allegations suggest that the NMDPRA had been issuing licenses to traders importing high-Sulphur content diesel into Nigeria. Such products pose severe health risks and lead to substantial financial losses for Nigerians.
“The unguarded statements by the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, which have since been disproved, sparked 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,” Iyawe added.
This development underscores the House’s commitment to ensuring accountability within the petroleum sector and protecting public health and economic stability. The suspension of the NMDPRA chief executive is seen as a necessary step to facilitate an unbiased investigation into these serious allegations.
