Senate rejects NMDPRA’s 2022, 2023 PMS import records

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC) has rejected the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (NMDPRA) records of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imports for 2022 and 2023, citing what it described as wide disparities with figures presented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, resolved to summon the heads of the NMDPRA, NNPCL, and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to reconcile the records or expose suspected fraud.

The discrepancies in the agencies’ records of PMS imports in 2022 and 2023 came to light when NMDPRA officials responded to queries raised against the authority in NEITI’s 2021–2023 Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report.

The Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, represented by a Deputy Director, Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, told the committee that the authority’s records on petroleum imports were credible despite the disparities with NNPCL’s figures.

She said, “We stand by 3.29 billion litres of PMS as volume imported in 2022 and 6.02 billion litres as volume imported in 2023 against 6.27 billion litres recorded by NNPCL in 2022 and 3.88 billion litres in 2023.

“The slight disparities are being looked into for possible reconciliation.”

Not satisfied with her submission, a member of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi-Central), pointed out that discrepancies exceeding 50 per cent could not be described as slight, adding that they were wide, disturbing, and suspicious.

Ningi noted, “The disparities in records of PMS importation between NMDPRA and NNPCL in 2022 and 2023 as stated in the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report of 2021 to 2023 are too wide to be described as slight or being looked into without the seriousness required.”

Also expressing concern over the huge discrepancies, Senator Dayo Faduyile (Ondo-South) observed that the figures left considerable room for suspicion, adding that they suggested something was amiss and must be sorted out.

Rejecting the NMDPRA’s defence, Senator Anietan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East) called for a thorough investigation, insisting that Nigerians must not be shortchanged annually as the agencies’ conflicting records appeared to suggest.

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Bassey stated, “Mr Chairman and very distinguished colleagues, these questionable records of volume of PMS importation by the two agencies must be thoroughly investigated to save Nigerians from being yearly shortchanged and expose those milking the country dry.”

Consequently, the committee rejected the NMDPRA’s defence and resolved to convene a tripartite meeting of the three agencies as soon as possible.

Ruling on the matter, Dankwambo, a former Accountant-General of the Federation and ex-governor of Gombe State, said, “In view of the unacceptability of presentations made by representative of NMDPRA on queries raised against it in the NEITI Oil and Gas Audit Report covering 2021 to 2023, specifically on volume of PMS imported within the years under review, this committee resolves to summon heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and NEITI for reasons behind the wide disparities.”