Dangote Refinery: Senate fixes date for public hearing

The Nigerian Senate has fixed September for the public hearing to resolve the rift between Dangote Group and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other regulators.

The Chairman of the Senate 15-member Adhoc committee, Bamidele Opeyemi disclosed this on Thursday.

Recall that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio recently inaugurated the Committee to address all issues relating to disputes between Dangote Group and Nigerian oil and gas sector regulators.

To this end, the Senate vowed to name and expose alleged saboteurs in the sector, which it notes is the lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy, upon conclusion of its probe.

Opeyemi assured that the Ad-hoc committee will not operate like the previous Senate Committee investigating activities in the oil sector over the years without any outcome.

“The ongoing accusations and counter accusations between Dangote and regulators are among the issues that we have been mandated to look into”, he stated.

The Chairman said the ad-hoc committee has written to all the relevant stakeholders in the sector for submission of relevant documents before the public hearing fixed for September 10 to September 12, 2024.

“We will conduct a thorough review of current regulatory frameworks and procedures to identify deficiencies and recommend necessary reforms to prevent such occurrences in the future.

“The Committee is committed to ensuring the highest standards of fuel quality for the Nigerian market”, he added.

Outside the Senate, the House of Representatives has commenced an investigation into the dispute.

Similarly, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri had summoned an emergency meeting between Dangote, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory, Gbenga Komolafe and the Group CEO of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari to resolve the crisis facing the sector.

This comes as Ahmed last week stated that diesel from Dangote Refinery is substandard compared to imported ones.

The statement had long sparked mixed reactions within the oil and gas industry.

Meanwhile, Dangote had dismissed Ahmed’s statement insisting that petroleum products from his $20 billion refinery are of high quality.