The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has passed confidence votes on President Tinubu, the NMDPRA, and Dangote over energy security
The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has passed votes of confidence in President Bola Tinubu, the leadership of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and billionaire industrialist, Aliko Dangote, citing progress in domestic refining and petroleum supply.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, announced the votes on Monday during a technical briefing marking the end of the 2026 Downstream Week, where he reviewed the committee’s activities and priorities in the petroleum sector.
Ugochinyere declared that Nigeria’s pursuit of energy security was “now in the fast lane”, attributing the progress to developments in domestic refining, regulatory oversight and investments across the downstream industry.
He commended the NMDPRA Authority Chief Executive, Engr. Rabiu Umar, and the authority’s executive directors for what he described as “a job well done”, noting that the regulator had “brought stability where there was uncertainty”.
According to figures presented at the briefing, contributions from domestic refineries to Nigeria’s petrol supply have increased by more than 75 per cent, with no supply shortfalls recorded and national sufficiency maintained for more than 25 days.
The committee chairman also highlighted the commissioning of the Port Harcourt petroleum product laboratory, the licensing of what he described as Africa’s first petroleum liquid trading exchange, and the completion of a framework for a National Strategic Stock capable of covering up to 20 days of demand.
He said plans were underway to expand the strategic reserve to cover 90 days in 2027.
Reps Identify Priorities For Energy Security
Ugochinyere said the Downstream Week technical committee had reached four major conclusions on the measures required to sustain energy security.
According to him, the committee conclusions include: that there is no supply security without pipeline security; that local refining has changed the national equation; that importation must be “a supplement for verified shortfall, not a permanent substitute“; and that the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation “must be enforced, not merely recited”.
He disclosed that the committee had rejected a World Bank recommendation on import licences, insisting that “Nigeria’s energy policy must be written in Nigeria”.
He also said the committee had opened an inquiry into the underpayment for crude by certain companies, and had questioned NNPC Limited on legacy transactions and refinery rehabilitation. “We will not accept silence as an answer,” he said.
The chairman hailed Dangote over the ongoing Initial Public Offering of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery(IPO), which he said had brought “fresh momentum” into the downstream market, and described the refinery as a roughly $20 billion investment of strategic national importance that the committee would protect while promoting fair competition.
He also commended the major marketers’ associations, MOMAN, DAPPMAN, IPMAN and PETROAN, for investments in depots, jetties, trucks and filling stations, saying their members had “stepped in to close the gap” whenever domestic output fell short.
The committee said it would continue to advance the Petroleum Industry Act (Amendment) Bill to strengthen the law on crude feedstock, licensing, protection of local refiners and a regulated import market.
