Calling for the resignation of the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Farouk Ahmed, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mal. Mele Kyari, is baseless, the Integrity Youth Alliance has said.

The rights group in a statement on Saturday by its National Coordinator, Mr. Kelvin Adegbenga and the Board of Trustees Chairman, Comrade Adewole Kehinde, said: "You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater because the GMD of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mal. Mele Kyari, has sustained uninterrupted availability of Premium Motor Spirit for the past four years."

“Rather than calling for the resignation of the two CEOs of the above agencies, Nigerians should prevail on the Federal Government to go a step further by establishing an independent, arms-length and expert-led compensation committee that would review the fuel importation record, evaluate claims of members of the public, mandate culpable importers to pay into a compensation fund irrespective of how highly placed they may be, and then distribute such funds to members of the public with cogent and verifiable claims.

“Also, there is an urgent need for more stringent environmental provisions in the Direct Sale of Crude Oil and Direct Purchase of Petroleum Product Agreements," the group said.

It lamented that there is a need for transparency and consistency in the negotiation, approval, and implementation of all Direct Sales of Crude Oil and Direct Purchase of Petroleum Product Agreements. A situation whereby some agreements for preferred bidders allegedly allow for higher sulphur content, or where the DSDP agreement stipulates environmental standards lower than the government’s own published guidelines and regulations leaves room for ambiguities and confusion and must be avoided.

“On the part of the government, there is a need to make provision for adequate capacity and resources, in terms of modern equipment tools, resources, and training needed by regulatory institutions to effectively spot and deter illegal imports and return them to the source.”

“There is also the need to strengthen the surveillance and monitoring structures in place so that Nigeria could easily detect such violations of standards before they enter into the domestic supply chains,” it added.

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