*Call for Sack of NNPCL, NUPRC, NMDPRA Bosses
Major stakeholders within the All Progressives Congress (APC) have called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the heads of the nation’s oil and gas regulatory agencies, citing their failure to effectively manage the sector and address the myriad of challenges facing the industry.
Specifically, the Tinubu Legacy Coalition (TLC) in a private letter to President Tinubu demanded the removal of Mele Kyari, Gbenga Komolafe and Farouk Ahmaed as heads of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) respectively.
According to the letter signed by Hon. Bala Abu, Convener/ National President, Dr. Jeremmiah Okino, Co-Convener, Comrade Gabriel Gbana, Secretary, Princess Ajibola, Dr Thomas Terna and 95 others Progressives, the stakeholders said their continuous stay in office has done more harm than good to the image of the President.
They lamented that the sector has been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement with fuel scarcity, pipeline vandalism, and oil theft rampant the day’s order.
The stakeholders further said that the country’s reputation has been tarnished due to lack of transparency and accountability, with billions of dollars lost to fraudulent activities.
“We are compelled to express our deep concern over the state of the nation’s oil and gas industry. Despite the sector’s potential to drive economic growth, it has been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement. The continuous stay in office of Mele Kyari, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe and Farouk Ahmed have done more harm than good to the image of President Tinubu,” the letter said.
“The oil and gas sector is in shambles, with fuel scarcity, pipeline vandalism, and oil theft rampant. The sector’s contribution to the nation’s GDP has dwindled, and the country’s reputation has been tarnished. The lack of transparency and accountability in the sector has led to widespread corruption, with billions of dollars lost to fraudulent activities.
“Furthermore, the industry is plagued by vested interests, with concerns over the importation of adulterated petroleum products, non-availability of crude oil for domestic refineries, and energy security concerns. The recent accusations by Dangote Refinery against International Oil Companies (IOCs) of colluding to frustrate the local refining industry through underhand tactics are particularly alarming.
“The indiscriminate granting of import licenses by NMDPRA has led to the importation of ‘dirty’ high-sulphur diesel, posing grave health risks to Nigerians. The regulator and oil marketers have denied this, but the evidence speaks for itself.
“The reoccurring queues at filling stations, with fuel being sold for as much as 1,000 naira per liter, are a testament to the sector’s mismanagement. Greed continues to define the industry, and Nigerians bear the brunt of the mismanagement, inefficiencies, capacity deficit, insecurity, governance, and regulatory gaps.
“Mele Kyari’s leadership of NNPCL has been marked by incompetence and ineptitude, failing to address the fuel scarcity and pipeline vandalism that have become endemic under his watch.
“Engr. Gbenga Komolafe has similarly failed to increase transparency and accountability in the sector, allowing corruption and oil theft to flourish. Farouk Ahmed’s tenure as NMDPRA head has been characterized by a lack of vision and failure to develop a comprehensive plan to grow the sector’s contribution to the GDP.
“We indict these individuals for their gross failure to perform their duties and their complicity in the sector’s downfall. Their continued stay in office is a disservice to President Tinubu’s administration and a betrayal of the trust reposed in them.”
The stakeholders, therefore, said their sack is necessary to restore confidence in the sector.