By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja

The Executive Director of Energy Reforms Advocates of Nigeria (ERAN) Mr Robinson Onuh has said that  despite the decision of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), to end Importation of Petroleum Products and patronize Dangote and other local refineries, there has been a rise in petrol importation by marketers in Nigeria over the last few days.

 Contained in a statement signed on Monday, Onuh’s outcry was also coming on the heels of the sack of some board and top management team of the NNPCL, wherein, Umar Ajiya and Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan were relieved of their positions as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President (Upstream), respectively.

The NNPCL, while announcing the sack of Ajiya and Eyesan Wednesday night, said it was aimed at enhancing “corporate governance and operational efficiency, reflecting NNPC’s commitment to long-term success in Nigeria’s energy sector”.

Onuh in a statement, said the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL, Mele Kyari was embarking on a face-saving re-organisation of the NNPCL at a time Nigerians were asking him to go, saying, “this is cheating and to be clever by half”.

“We welcome the news of the minor shakeups in the top management body of the NNPCL. But the major shakeups is what we are expecting to hear.

“According to a report at our disposal, between October 1 and November 11, Nigeria imported 1.5 million metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 414,018 metric tonnes of diesel, and 13,500 metric tonnes of aviation fuel.

“These volumes translate to over 2 billion litres of petrol, 500 million litres of diesel, and 17 million litres of jet fuel, with a cumulative cost of nearly N3 trillion.

“This continued importation raises concerns about the impact on Nigeria’s local refining sector, particularly with the operational Dangote Refinery and the nation’s owned refineries still in comatose, despite the trillions of naira injected into them by the government.

“This same Kyari has been promising Nigerians, giving us hopeless hope that the Port Harcourt refinery would resume operations before September 30. But now he has run out of excuses. Nigerians continue to buy adulterated and high sulphur contaminated fuel, while Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries remain in comatose, despite trillions of naira injected into them”, the statement read.