Allow Local Refineries To Survive, Group Urges NNPCL, NMDPRA

Conference of Energy & Finance Consultants (CEFC), a group known for championing integrity, quality delivery and financial management amongst energy consultants, has called on the major oil regulatory agencies in Nigeria to allow local refineries function smoothly.

The group specifically urged Mallam Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and Mr. Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to encourage the growth of local refineries in Nigeria.

In a statement signed yesterday by Engr. Anthony Igeriwa, spokesman for the conference, the group said the call was made in the larger interest of the masses.

The energy consultants said they gathered from sources within, that the NNPCL would soon withhold supply of crude oil to Dangote and other local refineries in Nigeria.

The sole reason for this, according to the group, was to encourage continued importation of petroleum resources, which had hampered the economic growth of the nation and cause grave hazard to the end consumers, due to adulteration of products.

They argued that, the low importation level in January and February of the first quarter of the year 2025, has helped drastically to reduce corruption amongst the stakeholders in the country.

“The NNPCL is apprehensive of the efforts of the Dangote Refinery and other local refineries for ending the regime of corruption in the oil sector.

“The fuel importation cabal wants fuel importation to continue, so they are planning to stop the release of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and others.

“The Dangote Petrochemical Refinery in Lagos, is adjudged the largest single and private refinery in Africa, and it is believed that very soon, all the neighbourhood countries and other countries would be exporting the refined fuel from Nigeria.

“This is largely due to its richness in content and refined quality. The product is not adulterated and the supplies to the independent marketers, retailers and end users is smooth and friendly, unlike what we used to have.

“This is the kind of things the oil cabals don’t want to see. Those who have held us hostage economically want to see us cry more. They want to see the long queue returned to our fuel stations. They want to see more of our fuel pumps and vehicles damaged by fake fuel.

“They want the few privileged crooks to continue importing fake products to Nigeria, while they at the regulatory agencies live fat on our anguish. They want the poor to become poorer, leaving only few of them to manipulate our commonwealth. But thank God Dangote has ended their career. The rest will be history by God’s grace”, the statement added.

The group called on National Assembly to expedite actions on the ongoing probe of the importation of adulterated petroleum products to Nigeria; urging the lawmakers to stand with the masses, by ensuring that crude oil is adequately and regularly supplied to Dangote and other local refineries in Nigeria.