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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
An authoritative presidency source has debunked report making the rounds that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that a query be issued to the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over the importation of adulterated fuel into the country.
According to the source who pleaded for anonymity, “nothing of such ever happened.”
Recall a national daily, had credited an unnamed source in the presidency with the claim that man angry President Buhari, who doubles as Minister of Petroleum, directed the Minister of State, Mr Timipre Sylva, to issue a query to Mr Farouk Ahmed, the NMDPRA boss.
But the Presidency source, Tuesday told State House Correspondents that it was time to set the records straight.
“There was no directive to issue a query. What Mr President is interested in is for all the stakeholders to team up, and resolve the issue that has brought untold hardship to Nigerians, who queue hours on end to get petrol. The President is aware that the Minister of State, the Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari, the NMDPRA Head, and everyone involved, are working together to resolve the issues, at the shortest possible time,” the source said.
According to the source, “what is uppermost in the mind of the President is the restoration of smooth supply of quality petrol to Nigerians, and not recriminations or blame game.”
“Forget the story of any query being issued. It is not correct. Yes, Mr President is unhappy with what happened, but he didn’t direct that a query be issued. The story is not correct,“ the source affirmed.
