The Nigerian Senate has announced plans to summon the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Dangote Group, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, among others, for questioning over alleged economic sabotage in the country’s petroleum industry.
This revelation came from the Leader of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee on “Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry” during a media briefing on Thursday.
The 14-member committee, constituted on July 23, is tasked with investigating the billions of dollars spent on turnaround maintenance of state-owned refineries over the past decade.
A public hearing is scheduled for September 10, where contractors responsible for the refineries’ turnaround maintenance will be expected to attend.
The committee also plans to visit Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Warri to engage with key industry players.
In their remarks, committee members emphasized their determination to uncover the deep-seated issues plaguing the sector. They assured that there would be no “sacred cows” and expressed readiness to issue warrants of arrest for any agency heads who refuse to honor their invitation.
The Senate’s move follows a recent clash between the Dangote Refinery and Nigeria’s regulatory authorities, where the company was accused of rolling out substandard products—a claim denied by the NNPCL.
In response, the House of Representatives has initiated an investigation and called for the suspension of Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over his comments on the quality of Dangote Refinery’s products.
Since the controversy, numerous Nigerian businessmen and politicians have voiced their support for the Dangote Group, urging backing for the country’s entrepreneurs.