Senate rejects NMDPRA’s 2022, 2023 PMS importation records

…Says wide disparities of NMDPRA, NNPCL’s records are unacceptable

…Summons heads of agencies

The Senate, through its Committee on Public Accounts, has rejected records of the volume of petroleum products imported in 2022 and 2023 presented by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) over wide disparities between them and those presented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Consequently, the committee resolved to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to reconcile the records or expose suspected fraud.

The wide disparities in the records of NMDPRA and NNPCL on the volume of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imported into Nigeria in 2022 and 2023 came to the fore when the management of NMDPRA responded to queries raised against it in the NEITI Audit Report covering 2021 to 2023.

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Rabiu Umar, the Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA, represented by Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, a deputy director, told the committee that the authority’s records on petroleum importation were credible despite the disparities with those of NNPCL.

“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,” she said.

Irked by her submission, Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), a member of the committee, said disparities of over 50 per cent were not slight but wide, disturbing and suspicious.

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“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,” he said.

Also miffed by the huge disparities in the records, Dayo Faduyile (Ondo South) said the differences left considerable room for suspicion.

Outrightly rejecting NMDPRA’s defence, Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East) said the committee must conduct a thorough investigation into the wide disparities.

According to him, Nigerians must not be allowed to be shortchanged yearly, as allegedly indicated by the discrepancies between the NMDPRA and NNPCL records of PMS importation.

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

Consequently, the committee, chaired by Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe North), rejected NMDPRA’s defence and resolved to summon the heads of the three agencies for a meeting as soon as possible.

“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 resolved to summon heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and NEITI for reasons behind the wide disparities,” he said.