The deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently remove Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and his executives.
The call followed allegation by President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote that some people in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) were importing fake petrol products into the country.
Dangote further alleged that the NNPC cabals stationed a petroleum refinery in Malta from where they imported inferior fuel into Nigeria.
Mele Kyari had challenged Dangote to reveal the identities of NNPC workers accused of establishing a blending plant in Malta.
In a statement he issued via his social media platforms, Kyari maintained that he did not own a blending plant in Malta nor did he know any of his colleagues doing so.
However, Agbese, while speaking to newsmen on Friday in Abuja, described claims that Dangote Refinery was reselling shipments of crude oil from the United States (US) and Nigeria as false.
Agbese accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of fresh plots to de-market the homegrown refinery.
He asked President Bola Tinubu to sack the leadership of NNPC and NMDPRA, noting that both agencies had confirmed their interest in destroying the Dangote Refinery.
He said, “We have seen a lot of de-marketing campaigns aimed at discrediting the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has caused panic, resulted in uncertainties, and led to fuel queues resurfacing. We find this condemnable.
“Unfortunately, we have learnt that the NNPC and NMDPRA are involved in these plots to discredit the refinery, which is unacceptable.
“The bigger aspect of our concern is that false narratives are being peddled by certain interests bent on importing dirty fuels into the country, making things worse for Nigerians.
“The NNPC and NMDPRA are behind the false report claiming that Dangote Refinery is reselling crude oil allocated to it.
“As a proactive institution committed to the nation’s wellbeing and Nigerians, the House’s position is to investigate the allegations and bring closure to this matter to ensure economic stability.
“It is on record that the House directed the President to sack NMDPRA’s CEO. The House of Representatives will not hesitate to call for the sack of Mele Kyari (Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC) if their attempt to destroy the Refinery project, a national asset, does not stop immediately.
“To arrest the damage being done to the country’s economy by those who should be supporting the government to earn revenue, Mr. President must urgently sack Mele Kyari as CEO of NNPC, and other members of the leadership of NNPC and NMDPRA must be sacked, as both agencies have confirmed their interest in destroying the Dangote Refinery.”