Senate to probe substandard fuel imports into Nigeria

The Senate has resolved to investigate the entry of substandard Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel into the Nigerian market.

This comes days after the promoters of the Dangote Refinery accused the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of licensing oil marketers to import dirty fuel into the country.

The resolution follows the adoption of a proposal on urgent national interest tabled by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong during Wednesday’s plenary session in Abuja.

In his presentation, Ekpeyong said a report on June 16 revealed that 12 diesel cargoes carrying a total of 660 kilotons of diesel were exported by refineries offshore Lome, Togo for further distribution to West African markets, especially Nigeria.

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According to him, the quality of the diesel in question is below Nigerian standards in terms of flash and sulfur content.

The lawmakers added that although the NMDPRA recently revised the standards for diesel imports into Nigeria in line with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the agency has not been able to enforce compliance with the standards.

In its resolution, the Senate established an ad-hoc committee to launch an investigation into the continued importation of hazardous petroleum products and dumping of substandard diesel into Nigeria.

By: Babajide Okeowo

Senate to probe substandard fuel imports into Nigeria first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.