POLITICS
Reps Probe Non-availability of Crude Oil Supply to Domestic Refineries
By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja
The House of Representatives, on Monday, commenced a forensic investigation into the alleged production and importation of substandard/ adulterated petroleum products, as well as the non-availability of crude oil supply to Dangote and all other domestic refineries.
Delivering a keynote address at the inauguration of the joint Committees on Petroleum Midstream and Downstream, in Abuja, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas tasked Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum.
Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) on the need to “guarantee that all petrol imported into this country is rigorously tested in laboratories to meet the standard sulphur and octane levels.
Abbas who was represented by his Deputy, Hon. Benjamin Kalu urged the Committee on the need to stand on the side of Nigerians who are suffering and want results by protecting their interests, rather than the interest of any other parties.
Speaker Abbas also harped on the need to address the issue of infrastructure for quality assurance that enables robust testing of petroleum products with the standard practice for manual sampling fully adhered to, just as he urged the Committee to carry out investigations on the quality and the number of laboratories that both the NMDPRA and SON have or use for their tests and return with actionable feedback.
In his remarks, Lead Chairman of the joint Committee on Midstream & Downstream, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere explained that the Committee was mandated to ‘carry out a legislative forensic investigation into the resurgence of fuel queues in petrol stations, allegations of high cost of PMS, unavailability of fuel stock for downstream domestic refineries, disruption of distribution of PMS products, unfair subsidization of PMS and other petroleum products, racketeering and favouritism in the Pro Forma Invoice System regime.’
While reeling out the joint Committees’ itinerary, Ugochinyere said: “Our investigation will proceed in phases, beginning with the investigation of allegation of alleged production and importation of Substandard Petroleum Products and the non-availability of Crude Oil to Domestic Refineries.
According to him, some of the stakeholders to be engaged by the joint Committees are: regulatory bodies, State Oil Companies, Petroleum Products Refining Companies, IPMAN, PETROAN, independent oil producers, international oil companies (IOCs), importers, marketers, depot owners, among others.
Ugochinyere who reiterated the 10th Assembly’s resolve towards ensuring the integrity and security of Nigeria’s petroleum sector, applauded the House leadership for its “desire and unstoppable drive to see a competitive, efficient, transparent and sustainable Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Resources sector that will be the foundation for advanced economic revolution that will help solve our present challenges in line with the Federal Govt Renewed Hope Agenda.”
He pledged the Committee’s resolve towards ending the menace of indiscriminate issuance of licenses and importation of refined petroleum products, alleged return of PMS price intervention, allegation of product unavailability to marketers from NNPC Retail, endless shifting of timelines for refinery rehabilitation, and the nefarious activities at petrol depots.
According to him, the committee will also conduct ‘A legislative forensic investigation into the presence of middlemen in crude trading, indiscriminate issuance of licenses, alleged unavailability of Intl standard laboratories to check adulterated products, influx of contaminated products into the country, the allegation of non-domestication of profits realized from crude marketing sales in local banks, abuse of the PFI regime, importation of products already being produced in Nigeria and use of international trading companies to resell fuel stock to local refineries at high mark up prices.
The joint committees are also posted towards carrying out a legislative forensic investigation into the allegation of importation of substandard products and high-sulphur diesel into Nigeria, the alleged production of substandard diesel and other petroleum products by some domestic producers, alleged anomalies in the importation and distribution of pms by the state oil company, the economic viability of the alleged sale of petroleum products below fair market value and its impact on downstream and local refineries and revenue generation as well as the source of funds for such price interventions, quantity imported, amount spent and why the products are still high in the retailing market, the alleged failure of some of the regulators to enforce compliance on standards; the lack of support to local crude refiners, issuance of import license, despite local production.
He also pledged the Committee’s resolve to ensure “a thorough and transparent investigation, the committee will undertake detailed laboratory investigations at all local refineries, marketers, and Importers facilities, and regulatory agencies, State Oil Company and other players in the sector.
“We will visit various filling stations, depots, and tank farms to take samples in line with intl standards, verify the quality of imported products, and assess the testing capacities of all refineries and all refined product handling outfits. The collection of samples will be done transparently and in line with global best practices and will be in 4 specimens for independent testing in a different standard, accredited Laboratory including that of all stakeholders involved in refining and importation of refined petroleum products.
“The committee will select different locations, including filling stations, depots and even currently discharging ships. Samples shall be taken in the presence of Representatives of NMDPRA, refinery representatives, Marketers/Importers, and the Committee. After collection, the samples will be tested jointly and also independently by the committee and the stakeholders to ascertain the contents.
Components to be tested for as listed as follows: Sulfur Content, Density, Distillation, Flash Point, Octane number (for gasoline), and Cetane number (for diesel).
He also unveiled the joint Committee plans to inaugurate Zonal interaction Committees to ensure swift movement to different parts of the country to interact with stakeholders and take samples from stakeholders/facilities such as depots, farm tanks, filling stations, and refineries, for immediate laboratory analysis.
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
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