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Senate Schedules Public Hearing for Dangote Refinery Dispute in September
The Nigerian Senate has scheduled a public hearing for September to address the ongoing dispute between the Dangote Group and key regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), and other involved regulators.
Bamidele Opeyemi, Chairman of the 15-member Ad-hoc Committee appointed by the Senate, made this announcement on Thursday.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, recently established this committee to tackle the various issues causing friction between Dangote Group and the regulatory authorities in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.
The Senate has pledged to uncover and name any alleged saboteurs in the industry, emphasizing the critical importance of this sector to Nigeria’s economy.
Opeyemi assured that this Ad-hoc Committee would differ from previous Senate Committees that had investigated the oil sector without producing concrete results.
According to Opeyemi, the Committee has reached out to all relevant stakeholders for the submission of pertinent documents ahead of the public hearing scheduled from September 10 to September 12, 2024.
The committee aims to thoroughly examine the existing regulatory frameworks and procedures to identify any shortcomings and suggest necessary reforms to avoid similar issues in the future.
“The Committee is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of fuel quality in the Nigerian market,” Opeyemi emphasized.
In addition to the Senate’s actions, the House of Representatives has also launched its investigation into the dispute.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, has convened an emergency meeting involving Dangote, Farouk Ahmed (CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority), Gbenga Komolafe (CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission), and Mele Kyari (Group CEO of NNPC) to address the sector’s ongoing crisis.
The dispute gained significant attention last week when Ahmed publicly criticized the quality of diesel produced by Dangote Refinery, claiming it was inferior compared to imported alternatives.
Dangote Group has firmly rebutted this assertion, maintaining that its refinery’s products meet high-quality standards.
The Federal Government trains 500 women and youths in food production and agriculture. The programme was started to support food security.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security partnered with the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT).
The women and youths were taught tomato, okra and Telfairia production techniques. The government believes this will help boost agriculture, improve food production and strengthen the economy in Ogun State.
According to reports, fuel stations are reducing their prices a bit. This has become a general thing around Nigeria after the spike due to the removal of subsidy.
The prices are dropping to ₦1,275 and ₦1,299, going lower than ₦1,300 compared to what it was before.
MTN has moved closer to acquiring IHS Holding, following shareholder approval of the proposed takeover, marking another major milestone in the transaction.
The approval was secured during the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on 4 August, allowing the deal to progress to the next stage.
If completed, the acquisition is expected to strengthen MTN’s infrastructure capabilities by giving the company greater control over its telecommunications tower assets. Industry analysts believe the move could improve network efficiency, reduce long-term operating costs, and support MTN’s continued expansion across its markets.
The transaction is still subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions before it can be officially completed.
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