The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has intervened in the escalating conflict between the Dangote Group and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), warning that the country must prioritize building strong regulatory institutions over pandering to powerful individuals.
The President of PENGASSAN, Festus Osifo, gave this charge on Sunday during an interview with Channels Television as reported by The Punch, cautioning against broad and unsubstantiated claims of sabotage in the oil and gas sector.
Osifo’s comments come on the heels of repeated allegations by Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, who claimed that an “oil mafia” and regulatory failures were frustrating his refinery’s operations.
Dangote also recently called for an investigation into the former Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, over alleged personal expenditures.
Addressing the sabotage claims, Osifo argued that such weighty accusations should be specific rather than general.
“The word sabotage is very huge. It’s very big. So what would have been done properly was to deconstruct it, open it up,” Osifo said.
He noted that vague accusations could harm the industry’s reputation and operational stability.
The labor leader emphasized that for the Nigerian oil and gas sector to thrive, regulators like the NMDPRA and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) must be empowered to enforce laws without fear or favor.
“For us, as a country, we must build institutions and not individuals. We must be able to have institutions, regulators who are strong, who are solid, and who are also able and willing to support businesses to grow, and to also ensure that those businesses operate within the ambit of the law,” he stated.
While acknowledging the Dangote Refinery as a source of “joy” and “pride” for the nation, Osifo insisted that its success depends on cooperation with government institutions.
“There must be synergy between the management of the refinery and the government institutions. The regulators should understand that it is their responsibility to ensure that the refinery would grow.
“It is also the responsibility of those managing the refinery to understand that there is a regulator they must work with,” he added.
On the specific allegations against Farouk Ahmed, Osifo maintained that the actions of a regulator often reflect broader government directives rather than personal vendettas.
“Engineer Farouk reports to the Minister of Petroleum… anybody occupying that position will not do things clearly outside what the President has asked him to do,” he explained.
Osifo highlighted the complex nature of the sector, where competing interests between local refiners seeking to stop imports and marketers wanting to continue importation must be balanced to ensure energy security.
He called on the Minister of Petroleum Resources (President Bola Tinubu) to take charge and align these conflicting interests for the benefit of the populace.
“One person will be able to align all these interests together for the benefit of not just the industry, but the benefit of the entire Nigerians, and that person is actually the Minister of Petroleum Resources,” Osifo concluded.
SOURCE: dailytimesng.com