A rights group, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative has demanded the immediate sack of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Mr. Farouk Ahmed over comment against Dangote Refinery.

The youths led by Comr. Danesi Momoh Prince, Convener of the group at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja wondered why NMDPRA boss allegedly went out of his ways to demarket the products of Dangote Refinery.

The group noted: “We are leading this struggle on behalf of the unemployed, who are the most directly endangered by this sinister enterprise. The NMDPRA has demonstrated its disdain for the establishment of local production.

“In doing so, it has overstepped its regulatory bounds, going as far as to undermine the products of Dangote Refinery. This is a blatant act of national economic sabotage that must be defeated. And this is why his immediate sack and investigation has become inevitable. Mr President should act as a matter of urgency.

“In fact, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be compelled, through this struggle, to take a stand—either with the people or with NMDPRA. We cannot allow a Nigerian investment of over $2 billion to be frustrated while millions of Nigerians are jobless and investors increasingly avoid our nation.

“For clarity, we are not against importation. However, importers must compete with local producers. The idea of frustrating local refineries to allow import cartels to strangle the country cannot continue.

” It is, therefore, a disgrace that our own regulatory authority’s head is the one making these accusations.

The group noted that the Dangote Group, under the visionary leadership of Aliko Dangote, has continually set benchmarks for economic and industrial growth in Nigeria and Africa adding with diversified interests spanning cement, sugar, salt, and pasta production, the Group has significantly contributed to job creation, infrastructure development, and national revenue generation.