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Reps Seek Consensus Over Fuel Imports, Local Refining

The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has opened consultations with petroleum importers and domestic refiners to reconcile divergent positions on the future of fuel supply in Nigeria.

Lawmakers say the initiative is aimed at guaranteeing energy security, ensuring stable fuel availability, and building a competitive downstream sector.

Committee Chairman Ikenga Ugochinyere stressed that the House was committed to dialogue rather than confrontation.

“We are here not to interrogate, not to accuse and not to put anyone on trial. We are here to listen. We are here to talk to one another as partners who share one common destiny—a Nigeria where energy is affordable, supply is stable, and no citizen suffers because petroleum products are out of reach,” he said.

“The marketers, depot owners, independent operators and major marketers remain the bridge between government policy and the pump. When that bridge is strong, Nigerians enjoy stable prices and reliable supply. When it is weak, the entire nation feels the consequences,” he added.

Presenting the position of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Executive Secretary Olufemi Adewole urged regulators to develop practical operating-stock guidelines under Section 182 of the Petroleum Industry Act.

“Strategic petroleum reserves should not be assessed solely by the volume of products in storage but also by the industry’s ability to finance, transport and deploy those products rapidly during emergencies or supply disruptions,” he argued.

Adewole also called for a joint market-monitoring framework to ensure transparency and fair competition.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) described the downstream sector as indispensable to Nigeria’s economy.

National Chairman Abubakar Shettima said, “Recent reforms, including the implementation of the PIA, fuel price deregulation, refinery rehabilitation and increased private-sector refining capacity, have positioned Nigeria to transition from a major importer of refined petroleum products to a leading refining and distribution hub in Africa.”

He warned, however, that the sector still faces “high financing costs, multiple taxation, foreign exchange volatility, inadequate storage, transportation infrastructure, pipeline vandalism and limited access by independent marketers to refinery products.”

Speaking for the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Executive Secretary Clement Isong acknowledged Nigeria’s growing refining capacity but cautioned against eliminating imports altogether.

“Strategic imports remain necessary to guarantee national energy security during periods of supply disruption,” he said.

Isong recommended the creation of a national strategic petroleum reserve capable of sustaining at least sixty days of domestic consumption.

“Decisions on petroleum product imports should remain the responsibility of the Federal Government and the NMDPRA. Preserving regulatory flexibility will ensure adequate supply, sustain healthy market competition and ultimately protect Nigerian consumers,” he added.