Sequel to a fact-finding visit to Dangote Refinery by a 17-man team of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) on September 5, 2024, the human rights organisation has urged the Federal Government to give the refinery a free hand to operate and protect it from strangulation. 
  
The Executive Director of the group, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The statement reads: “In view of the severe hardship facing Nigerians, and the fact that the masses have placed their hope in the likelihood of a drastic fall in the price of petroleum products once the Dangote Refinery starts functioning and in the face of the devastating blow delivered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by suddenly raising the price of its fuel and banning Dangote Refinery from supplying any other marketer except NNPC, we, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), concerned for the plight of poor Nigerians, went on a fact-finding mission to Dangote refinery.
  
“Seventeen members of our organisation visited the newly completed Dangote Refinery at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State. Authorities of the refinery granted our request to enter the premises on self-recognition. The visit took place yesterday, Thursday, September 5, 2024. 
  
“Although full details of our findings will be disclosed in a press conference to be addressed very soon, we are constrained to issue an advance statement as a precursor to the press conference. 
  
“Nigerians are going through severe hardship. There is hunger in the land. Inflation has made life difficult for many particularly after the removal of fuel subsidy, which shot the price of petrol to the rooftop. But Nigerians were assured of coming relief as they were told that the price of petrol will reduce drastically when Dangote Refinery starts to function. 

“But we were shocked to our marrows when NNPC suddenly announced an upward review of petrol from N617 to N897 This happened on Saturday, August 31, 2024. To make matters worse, NNPC made itself the only marketer of Dangote fuel thereby sandwiching the latter’s product. By taking these two actions, NNPC has effectively taken control of Dangote’s fuel and the real owner cannot determine the price of its own product. This is an ambush, a punch below the belt.
 
“If NNPC had not increased the price of its own fuel, the decision to monopolise Dangote’s fuel would have favoured the hoi polloi; but by increasing the price and restricting the supply of Dangote’s fuel to itself alone, NNPC has rendered Dangote Refinery helpless.” 
  
MURIC, therefore, said it finds NNPC’s action to be anti-people, immoral and lacking in conscience.
 
“It is an open secret that the prices of most products, particularly food items, are tied to the umbilical cords of petroleum and its price. The latter is the engine room that moves the economy,” the statement added.