By Kayode Araba
This was made known at the interactive session with stakeholders in the oil industry by the Nigerian Senate ad-hoc committee investigating alleged economic sabotage in the Nigerian petroleum sector turned into a forum for accusations and counter accusations on Wednesday in Abuja.
Therefore, amid pervasive allegations of sabotage in the petroleum industry, the Senate raised questions over $1.5 billion approved in 2021 for the turn-around maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery with little or no results.
In addition, the Senate Leader and Chairman of the ad- hocCommittee, Opeyemi Bamidele, had pleaded with stakeholders not to resort to blame games but to show calm and understanding.
Moreso, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, in his submission exonerated his company saying it is not responsible for the importation of adulterated products into Nigeria.
However, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Olawale Edun said the increase in the crude would stabilise the country’s foreign exchange market while expressing confidence in the leadership of the ad-hoc committee to conduct an unbiased and impartial investigation.
And the session was also attended by Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr. Gbenga Komolafe and representatives of Customs Services, Navy , Association of Local Refiners, Dangote Group and others who spoke after assured the committee that they would wait for the appropriate time tell their own sides to the Nigeria public.
Meanwhile the ad-hoc committee investigating the importation of adulterated petroleum products had vowed to reveal the identity of people behind the importation as dangerous fuel circulates across the country
