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.
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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.
“The Dangote Refinery is more than just an industrial project,” Abdulkadir stated. “It symbolizes Nigeria’s ability to break free from a cycle of exporting raw materials and importing finished goods—a practice that has hindered our growth for decades. By refining our crude oil domestically, we create jobs, retain wealth, and strengthen our economy.”
Abdulkadir lamented that despite a USD 20 billion investment in the refinery, Nigeria’s crude oil is still being exported, a situation he described as counterproductive to the refinery’s objectives and national development. The press conference underscored the refinery’s potential to reverse decades of economic setbacks caused by the reliance on crude exports and the importation of refined products.
NYAGGI also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his directive to sell crude to the Dangote Refinery in Naira, urging the Federal Government to ensure that crude oil is supplied to the refinery at fair prices. The group emphasized that more must be done to support the refinery’s goals.
“The refinery’s success is critical to Nigeria’s economic self-reliance and energy security,” Abdulkadir concluded. “We must not allow foreign interests and certain elements within regulatory bodies to undermine this national treasure.”