Senate President Akpabio has ordered an investigation into alleged sabotage in Nigeria’s petroleum industry, amid an ongoing dispute between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Dangote.

On Monday, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, hosted a crucial meeting with Dangote and officials from NMDPRA to address the recent altercations between the two parties.

The meeting also included leadership from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The disagreement between NMDPRA's chief executive, Farouk Ahmed, and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has recently dominated public discourse.

The dispute centers on the quality of products from Dangote's $19 billion, 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) oil refinery, which NMDPRA alleges produces fuels with high sulfur content.

Ahmed claims that the products, specifically diesel and jet fuel, are of lower quality than those imported by NNPCL.

He also stated that the Dangote refinery has not been fully licensed to operate and cannot be solely relied upon to meet the country's fuel needs.

Ahmed added that he has been under pressure from the Dangote refinery to stop all imports of diesel and jet fuel, despite the imported fuels having lower sulfur content.

He emphasized that the Dangote refinery is still in the pre-commissioning stage and has not been licensed yet.

According to Ahmed, the refinery is about 45% completed.

In contrast, Dangote conducted federal lawmakers around the facility in Lagos and claimed that his products are of far higher quality than imported fuels.

He rejected the regulator's claims that his refinery's products are substandard and expressed doubts about the quality of the laboratories used by NMDPRA for testing.

Dangote and his team tested samples of diesel from two separate filling stations and another from his refinery, showing that the refinery now produces products with less than 87 ppm sulfur content, compared to over 1,800 ppm and 2,600 ppm from the other samples.

The ministry's statement said Lokpobiri convened the high-level meeting with key stakeholders to address and resolve the ongoing issues surrounding the Dangote refinery.

Present at the meeting were Dangote, Ahmed, NUPRC’s Gbenga Komolafe, and NNPCL’s Mele Kyari.

The stakeholders expressed gratitude to the minister for his leadership and timely intervention in facilitating the crucial dialogue.

The meeting focused on finding a sustainable and lasting solution to the current impasse, with all parties committed to collaborative and proactive problem-solving.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured Nigerians that the senate would investigate the challenges in the petroleum sector and hold the saboteurs accountable.

He set up and inaugurated an ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged economic sabotage in the petroleum industry.

Akpabio emphasized that this investigation is a rescue mission for Nigeria’s future, as it is not just a financial issue but one of national security.

Akpabio also lamented the non-domestication of the Child Rights Act, which he said remains a major hurdle hindering the welfare of women and children in the country.

He pledged his commitment to support the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) in every aspect, especially in providing training for legislators and legislative institutions.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) asked President Bola Tinubu to sack the CEO of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, due to the agency's alleged preference for the importation of petroleum products.

HURIWA stressed that Ahmed's antagonistic attitude towards the Dangote refinery has rendered his continuous stay in office ethically disturbing.

The group stated that the only way the president could demonstrate his commitment to fighting corruption is by relieving Ahmed of his position.