A group of legal practitioners under the aegis of Public Interest Lawyers staged a protest at the National Assembly, demanding the instant suspension, investigation, and prosecution of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
The protest, spearheaded by Samuel Ihensekhien Esq., came after the submission of a formal petition to the leadership of the National Assembly via the House of Representatives.
In the petition, the lawyers accused Farouk of a clear conflict of interest and abuse of office.
According to them, letting Farouk remain in office will go a long way towards undermining transparency and accountability in the petroleum sector.
Ihensekhien insisted that the NMDPRA MD must be made to account for his actions, stressing that he shouldn’t get away with betraying public trust.
“We are here to demand accountability and transparency from Mr. Farouk Ahmed.
His actions are a clear betrayal of public trust, and it’s time for him to face the consequences,” he said.
The demand from the petitioners includes:
- Instant suspension of Farouk from office.
- Thorough investigation and prosecution.
- Freezing of all local and offshore assets.
- Tangible reforms in the appointment and oversight of regulatory agency heads in the oil and gas sector.
The petition was jointly signed by various civil society organisations, including the Situation Room for Oil Sector Reforms and the Concerned Young Professionals Network.
Another lawyer who was part of the protest, Dr. S. M. Oyeghe Esq., concluded by saying that public trust will only be restored if the accused is made to answer for his crimes.
“We demand that the National Assembly takes bold action to restore public trust and ensure accountability. No official should be above the law,” he added.
