By Ikenna Osuoha

The House Committee on Petroleum Downstream Sector has dismissed petitions demanding sack of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.

The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ugochinyere said the committee, after considering laudable results of the NMDPRA under Ahmed’s leadership, dismissed petitions calling for his sack.

He restated commitment of the committee to sustainable economic development through unbiased oversight duties.

The lawmaker also expressed worry over the alleged proposals of the government to sell some of the country’s refineries after spending so much money to revive them.

Ugochinyere affirmed the committee’s dedication to transparency and accountability, promising a detailed investigation into the alleged proposals.

He said that the committee would interrogate the reason behind the delay in turning around maintenance of the refineries.

Ugochinyere, who expressed determination of the committee to make the petroleum downstream sector work, said they would address complaints made by modular refineries.

According to him, we observed complaints from modular refineries about the bottlenecks in accessing crude to carry out their refinery activities.

The committee chairman assured of a legislative framework where all stakeholders would be carried along for a sustainable energy stability.

He, however, revealed plans by the committee to hold annual downstream Petroleum Week for interactions with stakeholders on the way forward.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NMDPRA is mandated to regulate and monitor the midstream and downstream operations of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannnews.ng)

Edited by Chioma Ugboma