House to Probes Alleged $5m Tuition, Indiscriminate Issuance of Importation Licences for PMS By NMDPRA Boss

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The House of Representatives has resolved to probe the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, over allegation of payment of over $5 million tuition fees for his children i. Switzerland.

The Green Chamber also resolved to investigate the allegations made by Alhaji Aliko Dangote against Ahmed over indiscriminate issuance of importation licences for PMS despite availability of the product produced by indigenous refineries.

The resolution of the House was sequel to the adoption of a motion moved at the plenary on Tuesday by Hon. Midala Usman.

Presenting the motion, Usman explained that Section 88 (1) and (2) of the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to conduct investigations into the activities of any authority executing or administering laws made by the National Assembly.

He added that Section 29 (3) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 provides that NMDPRA shall be responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of the midstream and downstream petroleum operations in the petroleum industry.

The lawmaker said the House was aware of the dispute between the NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery over alleged arbitrary grant of importation licences, allegation of corruption against Ahmed and other sundry issues.

Usman expressed worry that if the brewing dispute between the NMDPRA and Dangote Refinery was not nipped in the bud, it was likely to get escalated and thus lead to fuel supply crisis during the yuletide season and beyond

He noted that the Dangote Refinery represents a strategic national investment poised to end Nigeria’s historical dependence on imported Petroleum Motor Spirit, conserve foreign exchange, stabilise domestic supply, and moderate fuel pricing in the long term.

The lawmaker expressed worry that unresolved regulatory disagreements between a statutory regulator and the country’s largest domestic refinery pose a real risk of supply chain disruption, pricing volatility, policy inconsistency, and erosion of investor confidence in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

Usman lamented that the absence of a clearly articulated, transparent, and consistently applied Petroleum Motor Spirit pricing framework creates room for arbitrary determinations, and market distortions to the detriment of Nigerian consumers.

He argued that Nigerians continue to experience frequent Petroleum Motor Spirit price fluctuations without adequate public disclosure of:(a) (b) (c) (d) refinery gate prices; regulatory pricing assumptions, cost and margin components, and the comparative impact of local refining versus import-based pricing.

Usman was of the opinion that energy security, downstream stability, and consumer protection cannot be achieved where regulatory uncertainty and pricing opacity persist.

He stressed that urgent legislative investigation is required to clarify regulatory boundaries, harmonize pricing expectations, and restore confidence in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum governance architecture.

The House, therefore, mandated the Committees on Petroleum Resources (Midstream) and (Downstream) to investigate the root causes of the dispute and report within four weeks for further legislative action.