Lawmakers in Nigeria try to resolve rift between authorities and Africa's richest man

abcnews.go.com:

Nigerian legislators have begun an investigation into the alleged importation of contaminated fuel into the country, part of efforts to resolve issues causing a rift between an oil refinery owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote and the industry r...

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian legislators on Monday began an investigation into the alleged importation of contaminated fuel into the country, part of efforts to resolve issues causing a rift between an oil refinery owned by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote and the industry regulator.

A legislative committee tasked with carrying out the probe is also looking into allegations of the “indiscriminate issuance of licenses and the alleged unavailability of international standard laboratories” blamed for such contaminated products, its chairman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said in the capital of Abuja.

The committee called on parties in Nigeria’s petroleum sector to “deescalate tensions” that have been deepened in recent weeks by accusations from the regulator that Dangote was seeking a monopoly in the market and that his refinery’s products are of a low standard.

Nigeria’s junior petroleum minister Heineken Lokpobiri, meanwhile, met with Dangote and officials from the country’s petroleum sector in what he called a “collaborative effort” to address the issues facing the refinery.

“All parties involved demonstrated a strong commitment to proactive problem-solving,” the minister said after the meeting in a post on social media platform X.

The 650,000-barrels-per-day refinery in the economic hub of Lagos is the biggest in Africa and was touted by authorities as a game-changer that would end the oil-rich country’s dependence on imported petrol.

However, the $19 billion facility has been