In an attempt to ensure that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and diesel locally, the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) threatened over the weekend to resurrect their agitation for greater autonomy and control over their natural resources if the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) fail to sell and supply crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries.
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The Group, which consists of all the states in Nigeria that produce petrol and oil, bemoaned the fact that the nation still imports refined goods in spite of the billions of dollars invested on turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s refineries. It contends that this ongoing problem is evidence of the pervasive corruption in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, which is supposedly the work of powerful groups determined to preserve the current equilibrium of importing refined petroleum products and exporting crude oil.
HOSTCOM issued a warning, threatening to reveal the identities of these discovered cabals in public if required. Dr. Benjamin Tamaramiebi, National President of HOSTCOM, visited the Dangote Fertiliser Limited complex and the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals with his executives and traditional rulers from the Niger Delta region. Among the notable traditional rulers were Egbesuwei Gbanraun X Agadagba Pere, HRM (Capt) Frank Okiakpe, HRM Frank Okorakpo, Chairman of the Niger Delta Monarchs Forum, and HRM Obafemi Ogaro, Deputy Chairman of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON).
“Our visit today to the largest and magnificent 650,000 bpd private refinery in Africa (Dangote Refinery) has opened our eyes to several ills, particularly to the monumental corruption going on in the Nigerian oil and gas industry,” remarked Dr Tamaramiebi, the National President, following the tour. “Despite the billions of dollars that have been spent over the years on so-called Turn Around Maintenance, it is evident why the current Federal Government Refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna can never function or operate to their full potential. It is now evident that a few individuals, both inside and outside the government, have been recognised as the cabal controlling Nigeria’s oil industry. If this pattern persists, we will identify them and give their names to the Nigerian public, he declared. In order to reduce Nigeria’s ongoing dependency on imported petrol, diesel and other refined goods, HOSTCOM asked the Federal Government to support the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals and other domestic refineries in addition to highlighting the necessity for Nigeria to process its oil locally.
In order to minimise the need for imported refined products, the president of the group also demanded national backing for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and additional modular refineries. It thanked Nigerians and the National Assembly but issued a warning against any sabotage that may impede the nation’s journey towards refined product self-sufficiency. “We express our gratitude to Aliko Dangote’s supporters, associations, and the 10th National Assembly for their kind actions. Today, HOSTCOM is here to mobilise support for the Dangote Refinery. The organisation said, “We would stand with Dangote to stop the continuing importation of expensive and lower-quality refined petroleum products into Nigeria.
HOSTCOM cautioned that anyone who opposes this national ambition will face the wrath of the public, emphasising that every Nigerian’s aspiration is for the country to refine its own crude oil for the sake of its people. Apart from that, the group made fun of Farouk Ahmed, the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), for saying recently that the government will not stop importing refined petroleum products. HOSTCOM demanded that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remove Ahmed from his role, claiming that he is unsuited to properly oversee the downstream business due to his prior relationships with influential figures in the field. “We firmly demand that Farouk Ahmed be fired immediately.
It is now evident that he is in charge of granting import licenses to his friends outside the government so they can keep bringing inferior refined petroleum products into the nation in his capacity as CEO of NMDPRA.
Considering that he has previously sat on the boards of a few downstream companies, this is not surprising. As a result, it is clear that he is conflicted and unable to carry out his regulatory responsibilities for the downstream industry. The group continued, “It is imperative that he be promptly replaced with someone who is not burdened by this kind of controversy.
The group commended Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Industries Limited, for his patriotism in building and investing in the refinery in Nigeria, pointing out that his effort has made a substantial contribution to the growth and development of the nation’s economy. It underlined how important the refinery is to supplying Nigeria with domestic refining solutions and lowering the country’s reliance on imported refined petroleum products.
The group encouraged President Tinubu to embrace the project, emphasising its many benefits, including how it will strengthen the economy, generate thousands of employment, guarantee the sustainability and affordability of products, and significantly help the host communities. We requested that President Bola Tinubu, who is from his own state, back and maintain this refinery. It continued, “He needs to get rid of the cabals holding the oil industry hostage. The group also said that the President should not put up with the IOCs operating in Nigeria sabotaging the Nigerian economy by refusing to supply crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and other modular refineries.
They denounced this as an insult to the people of Nigeria and a calculated attempt to thwart the President’s renewed hope agenda, which seeks to boost the country’s economy. In accordance with section 109(4)(b) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021), which states that “the supply of crude oil shall be commercially negotiated between the lessee and the crude oil refining licensee, having regard to the prevailing international market price for similar grades of crude oil,” we demand that Mr. President order NNPC or NNPCL to compel the IOCs operating in our communities to sell and supply crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries.
It also made note of the IOCs’ alleged continued exploitation of oil-producing communities and their continued lack of openness and responsibility in the face of the PIA. The group issued a warning, stating that host communities would be compelled to take drastic measures if the IOCs failed to provide crude oil to domestic refineries.
In addition to exporting excess production to stimulate the economy, the refinery was built largely to source and refine local crudes for Nigerian benefit, according to Devakumar Edwin, Vice President (Oil & Gas) of Dangote Industries Limited, who hosted the delegation.
Edwin pointed out that importing crude from other nations and continents has become necessary due to insufficient Nigerian crude resources. He claimed that the refinery would have gone out of business due to a shortage of Nigerian crude supplies if it had not been built to handle a broad variety of crudes, including many Middle Eastern and African crudes in addition to US light tight oil.
