BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
Engr Farouk Ahmed was appointed by the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Midstream, Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority NMDPRA, soon after the unbundling of the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources DPR, into upstream and downstream.
Upon assumption of duty few years down the line , he has ensured a level playing ground , away from the translucent practices bedeviling the petroleum sector over the years.
With his indepth experience from the NNPCL over the years as the maiden Chief Executive Officer, no doubt Farouk was possessed the prerequisites to pilot diligently the affairs of the downstream sector of Nigeria’s petroleum industry sector, particularly in the area of acquisition and disposition of same products across the country.
Over a year down the line, he has brought not only probity, transparency and accountability to the new organization, but ensured that sanity is not only maintained as the core value of the newly unbundled organization.
Therefore, in the course of carrying out its mandate and statutory functions, many toes will have to be trampled upon to sustain the best practices both within and outside the shores of the country.
Having had enough wealth experiences from the petroleum sector, a feat that was unique and led to his appointment based on merit, the strife to do the right thing in the context of Nigeria, is expected to meet stiff resistances.
The recent altercations between the authority and a conglomerate of Dangote group was one out of many after his assumption of duty , having botched many sharp practices prevalent in the organization that was becoming a norm on assumption of duty.
In the industry, particularly the downstream sector , it is common to assess both substandard, fake and adulterated products as part of the gimmicks to shortchange hapless Nigerians on the basis of which the authority was convened.
To ensure adequate monitoring and regulatory framework in place , the Farouk Ahmed led NMDPRA was poised not to only nip in the bud , but ensured the right thing was done so as to contain needles and unforseen crises in the energy sector of the country.
Therefore, aside management decisions that ensured the mandate of the agency was not compromised, the readily available staff trained to confront the activities of the authority as it relates to customers, suppliers and vendors was not compromised under any guise, a feat he had maintained.
Inspite any unforseen circumstances, affluence and influence on the management and staff of the agency, the commitment to the core values of transparency and accountability must not be compromised.
The efforts of its operators to prevail on the management with a view to shortchanging hapless Nigerians capable of derailing the chain of distribution in the downstream sector, will not be condoned at the expense of hapless Nigerians.
The insistence to do the needful and the right thing formed the basis of series of confrontation, altercations between the management and it’s vendors.
Alas, the Farouk Ahmed led NMDPRA was poised to continue to sustain the age long legacy of doing the right thing, so as to avoid any crises in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
