In the face of escalating economic challenges propelled by the removal of subsidy on petrol, there is a growing concern among staff of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, over alleged administrative lapses, hindering optimal performance of the agency.
Credible sources in the agency alleged that the rate at which its head, Engnr Ahmed Farouk, throttles the globe, leaves him with no time to attend to crucial issues affecting the sector at home.
It was gathered that he travels out of the country, on average, three times in a month, aside from other local journeys.
Staff of the apex industry regulator have also been grumbling over delayed and skewed promotion exercises.
The situation has led to an aberration where some junior staff are placed above their seniors, who have been rendered redundant by poor labour practices.
An anonymous source claimed that the affected workers were encouraged to submit their grievances to a review committee.
He added that many months after submitting their petitions however, the matter remained intractable as nothing has been heard from the panel.
NMDPRA is a product of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, 2021. Worried by the sordid state of things, the immediate past president, Muhammodu Buhari signed the Reformatory Act to reduce replication of duty, wastage and enhance efficiency by streamlining the functions of sister agencies in the sector.
The legacy agencies brought under its umbrella are the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Petroleum Equilization Fund, PEF, and Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agency, PPPRA.
Among other things NMDPRA functions include to regulate and monitor midstream and downstream operations in Nigeria; determine appropriate tariff methodology; set cost benchmarks for midstream and downstream operations and advise the government and stakeholders on commercial matters relating to tariff and pricing.
Since the Act came into being, there have been reported clashes between NMDPRA and another sister agency, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC. In July, President Bola Tinubu took steps to streamline their activities.
The new president stressed that the NUPRC shall be the exclusive technical and commercial regulator in respect of upstream petroleum operations and facilities, while the NMDPRA shall be the exclusive technical and commercial regulator in respect of petroleum operations and facilities from the exit of the crude export terminals and the entry gate of the natural gas processing plants.
In August there were media reports of disquiet among staff over an internal reform that altered the nomenclature of some of the workers. For instance, someone on grade level 17 who ought to be a director, according to civil service rules, was still being addressed as a deputy director.
The management was also accused of maladministration and acting with impunity as though it is a personal fiefdom, to the disadvantage of staff, marketers, and the public interest.
Efforts to get the authority’s reaction did not yield fruit. Messages sent to the email address authority@nmdpra.gov.ng on its website did not deliver. Similarly, the telephone line on the website did not connect.
