Nigerian Senate rejects 2022-2023 petrol import figures
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
The Nigerian Senate disputes petrol import figures for 2022 and 2023, with differences of several billion litres between data from the regulator and state oil company NNPCL. It will summon the heads of three organisations to reconcile their accounts, Punch reports.
The Nigerian Senate has rejected figures from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on petrol imports in 2022 and 2023, citing discrepancies with figures from the state-owned oil company NNPC, Punch reports. The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has decided to summon officials from both bodies and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to reconcile their data.
The NMDPRA puts imports at 3.29 billion litres in 2022 and 6.02 billion in 2023, while the NNPC gives figures of 6.27 billion and 3.88 billion respectively. The figures were examined after NMDPRA officials were questioned on Wednesday about NEITI’s 2021-2023 audit report on imported petrol volumes.
Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, deputy director representing NMDPRA chief Rabiu Umar, said the authority stood by its figures and that the discrepancies were being reviewed for reconciliation. Senator Abdul Ningi disputed their description as “slight”, saying some differences exceeded 50% and required urgent clarification.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
