Nigerian netizens on X have demanded the resignation of Farouk Ahmed, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) over his recent comments on Dangote Refinery.
SaharaReporters had recently reported how Ahmed highlighted concerns over the consistency and standardisation of the refinery’s output.
He stated that the quality of its products was inferior compared to imported petroleum products.
He addressed concerns about the nationwide supply of petroleum products and denied allegations that there were moves to frustrate the Dangote Refinery.
He said Dangote Refinery was still in the pre-commissioning stage and had not been licensed yet. “We haven’t been licensed yet,” he added.
“I think we have about 45% completion. We cannot rely heavily on one refinery to feed the nation because Dangote is requesting that we suspend or stop imports, especially of AGO and DPK, and direct all marketers to his refinery.
“That is not good for the nation in terms of energy security, and it is not good for the market because of the monopoly.”
Ahmed said that in terms of quality, Dangote’s current AGO suffers from the lowest quality in terms of sulfur content, falling short of West Africa’s requirement of 50 PPM.
These remarks have generated a lot of negative reactions from concerned Nigerians who viewed Ahmed’s comments as economic sabotage.
A user, Udeani Anthony wrote: “The NMDPRA CEO, Farouk Ahmed comments on the Dangote Refinery are not only derogatory but also unpatriotic.
“The Dangote Refinery, the first private refinery of such capacity in Nigeria and projected to be the largest in Africa, represents a significant achievement for our nation.”
“I personally don’t care what happens to Farouk Ahmed, resignation or sacked. The buck stops at Mr President’s table just as it was the case during the 8 years of Obj, 2 yrs of late Yar’adua, 6 yrs of GEJ & 8 years of Baba @MBuhari,” another user said.
A user, Damola posted a test result to disagree with Ahmed’s claims. He wrote: “This test result shows two things that Farouk Ahmed and the @NMDPRA_Official;-
“1- That they do not monitor the quality of products that come into the country.
“2- They do not want Dangote Refinery to come onboard, for shady reasons.
“Pres. @officialABAT needs to sack him.”
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Spotlight Abey wrote: “While you’re calling out Farouk Ahmed, don’t forget that Mele Kyari, GMD of NNPC was standing beside him in that interview. Make of this what you will.”
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Jide wrote: “The fact that Farouk Ahmed & Mele Kyari still have their jobs despite falsely tarnishing the image of the largest investment in Nigeria. Shows Mr Tinubu @officialABAT is a disgrace, a liar and a fraud for claiming to be an expert in the oil and gas industry.”
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Lawal Oladimeji wrote: “Mele Kolo Kyari, Farouk Ahmed & Co must resign, their continuous stay is dangerous. We do not need another round of lab sample test of crude from Dangote’s Refinery. These gentlemen are unpatriotic, selfish& their loyalty lies only with their foreign collaborators. End to sabotage.”
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Agbaje wrote: “Farouk Ahmed does not deserve another 24 hours on that seat. His statement was outrageous, wayward, outrightly irresponsible, and capable of even damaging all of FG’s effort to attract real investors to the country. He should be removed without further delay.”