By Atoyebi Nike
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has begun a two-day performance review with licensed gas distribution companies, as part of its oversight functions under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
In a statement on Wednesday, the Authority said the review is aimed at monitoring regulatory compliance, operational performance, and adherence to Health, Safety, Environment, and Compliance (HSE&C) standards in the gas distribution sector.
This regulatory check comes amid growing national concerns over Nigeria’s chronically low electricity output, which hovers around 5,000 megawatts (MW) for a population exceeding 200 million.
Weighing in on the issue, President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, criticized the country’s low power generation during a recent inspection of the Dangote Refinery in Lagos. He revealed that his conglomerate alone produces over 1,500MW for internal use, arguing that Nigeria’s total output should be significantly higher.
“Nigeria should be doing 50,000 to 60,000 MW,” Dangote stated, adding that the success of large-scale industrial projects like the refinery proves that transforming the power sector is possible with the right mix of public-private collaboration.
Dangote emphasized that boosting electricity supply should not be left to the government alone and noted that building the refinery was more challenging than generating 30,000MW of power across the country.
