The Nigeria Youth Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative (NYAGGI) has condemned the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for issuing licenses to importers of substandard and environmentally harmful refined products.
The group expressed concerns that these actions not only undermine the operations of the Dangote Refinery but also pose significant health and environmental risks to Nigerians while damaging the country’s economic interests.
In a recent press briefing, NYAGGI called for the suspension of the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kolo Kyari, to allow for an investigation into alleged acts of sabotage within the organization.
The group demanded a comprehensive probe into the operations of the NNPCL to assess Nigeria’s true oil production capacity and investigate the importation of substandard refined products. NYAGGI urged the Federal Government to protect the Dangote Refinery from any sabotage attempts and ensure its success as a vital asset to Nigeria’s economic future.
The group emphasized the importance of safeguarding the refinery, given its potential to transform the country’s economy by refining crude oil domestically.
Addressing the media, Comrade Ambassador Shuaibu Abdulkadir, President of NYAGGI, voiced concerns over recent revelations by Mr. Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, regarding deliberate acts of sabotage by certain International Oil Companies (IOCs).
According to Edwin, these companies have been inflating the price of local crude oil, forcing the Dangote Refinery to import crude from distant sources like the United States, thereby increasing production costs and jeopardizing the refinery’s operational efficiency.
