The Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved six new companies to import petroleum products into Nigeria.
The Managing Director of Nigeria Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDRA), Farouk Ahmed, made this announcement to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.
Ahmed refuted reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had granted approval for Dangote Group to import petroleum, emphasizing that the company does not possess the authority to grant such approval.
According to Ahmed, apart from the six approved companies, several others have applied for permits to import petroleum in due course. He revealed that numerous companies have applied for fuel importation permits, and anyone interested in importing can apply to access the port, as the authority is open to all.
Ahmed stated, “There are six companies that have expressed their intention to import fuel in July. Of course, other companies may import in December, November, or at any other time. As of this morning, there were six companies interested in bringing in fuel in July.”
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“The significant aspect is that there is considerable interest, indicating that these companies have secured access to foreign exchange for importation. Moving forward, we will keep you informed about the progress and achievements. However, it is important to note that the NNPC has a 30-day fuel sufficiency, so we do not anticipate any supply or distribution gaps,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has taken steps to prevent ship owners from withdrawing their vessels due to perceived excessive charges.
During an interactive session with shipping stakeholders at the State House, the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Zacchaeus Adedeji, stressed that Nigeria cannot afford to have vessels refrain from entering or leaving the country.
Reports had suggested that at least two ship owners had kept their vessels away from Nigeria following the issuance of multimillion-dollar tax bills seeking to recover unpaid duties from 2010 to 2019.
Adedeji reassured the oil and gas sector, stating that a technical committee had been established to resolve the contentious issues and alleviate concerns.
