Good Governance Watch has sharply criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, accusing them of misleading Nigerians about the nation’s petrol importation figures in 2025. The coalition’s latest statement, issued in Abuja on Thursday, alleges that NNPC falsely claimed it had not imported a single litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) this year, despite evidence to the contrary.
According to the coalition, Soneye’s denial comes in direct contradiction to several Motor Tanker Vessels Reports, which confirmed substantial imports of petrol. Dr Sola Johnson, National Coordinator of Good Governance Watch, condemned the NNPC for what he described as a deliberate campaign to obfuscate the truth. “It is irresponsible of the NNPC to claim that it has not imported any petrol in 2025,” he asserted. “The corporation’s attempt to malign journalists by accusing them of lazy reporting and unprofessional journalism is unacceptable.”
Dr Johnson challenged the NNPC to dispute the detailed figures from the Motor Tanker Vessels Report dated 10 February 2025. He pointed out that the report records the importation of 37,000 metric tonnes of petrol through the Lagos ASPM terminal on the ship Kriti Bay, a further 37,000 metric tonnes through the same terminal on the ship Kouris, another 28,000 metric tonnes arriving on Hapia Andre at the PWA/BOP/NOJ Lagos terminal, and an additional 20,000 metric tonnes delivered at the Calabar Mainland terminal by the ship Mycroft.
Further compounding the issue, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has confirmed that less than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s daily consumption of 50 million litres is met by domestic refineries, with the remaining shortfall being sourced via imports in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act. Dr Johnson argued that the NNPC’s assertions are therefore not only disingenuous but also indicative of a broader pattern aimed at concealing the non-performance of domestic refineries.
Good Governance Watch demanded that the NNPC and its leadership issue a public apology to Nigerians for these alleged misrepresentations. The group also called for decisive action from President Bola Tinubu, warning that continued deception and the apparent cover-up of underperforming refineries could tarnish his administration’s reputation and be seen as symptomatic of deeper systemic corruption within the state oil firm.
