By Amin Kef Sesay
Various instances have proven beyond all reasonable doubts that the current Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA), Dr. Brima Baluwa Koroma, has sown seeds of discord within the petroleum landscape of the country. As head of a regulatory institution of an important industry in the country it is the expectation that he will always ensure that indeed sanity prevails within the petroleum landscape and all key players treated with respect in line with good and acceptable standards or practices but that is not the case as prevailing and emerging occurrences have manifested.
Dr. Brima Baluwa Koroma’s policies and actions have brought confusion within the petroleum landscape and thereby creating all kinds of unpleasantness in the downstream sector. One would expect any credible regulator to ensure that before issuing out a licence to any new player certain specific guidelines should be made available which the new player must strictly adhere to in order to ensure that sanity prevails.
Lamentably, that has not been the case, as was seen manifest recently when the PRA, under the leadership of Dr. Koroma granted permission to a new petroleum importing and marketing company, the All Petroleum Products (APP) Company to operate. Proper demarcation was not done or outlined by the PRA as to where and where are to be the areas of the new company’s operations at the Kissy Terminal.
According to information mounted by this Press, APP, an allegedly fictitious dealer in petroleum products, signed an MoU with the Government of Sierra Leone dated 12th July 2019 to rehabilitate and refurbish the storage tanks at the Kissy Terminal to aid sufficient storage of fuel for onward delivery within Sierra Leone.
However, since then the company has done little or nothing to actualize the said project. Instead, APP Ltd, allegedly supported by powers that be, has picked up an unnecessary fight against the reputable National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd) which has been in operation for quite a considerable period of time and contributed immensely towards overall socio-economic development.
It was further understood that APP approached NP-SL Ltd, which many hold in high esteem for its effective service delivery, to allow them to pass a pipe through the latter’s lease concession which the Management generously consented to, based on a mutually outlined plan of where the said pipe would pass through the oil marketing company’s concession at the Kissy Terminal.
After the route for laying of the pipe was agreed upon, to the surprise of the Management of the locally marketing company, APP chose, on their own volition, to violate the agreement reached with the marketing company as to where the pipe should pass. When an objection was raised, APP resorted to roughneck tactics common to criminal gangs in Mexico.
With this ugly incident rearing its head, it was the widespread expectation that the Executive Chairman could have swiftly step in and try to settle the impasse. He must have strongly cautioned the APP Company that they must limit their operations within the areas demarcated to them. To the chagrin of many he has up to this time kept sealed lips on the matter thereby giving the leeway to some officials within the Ministry of Trade to treat NP-SL Ltd with disdain and scorn even though the latter has the legitimate right to lay claim over its concessional area which the APP has now trespassed on.
In another botched attempt to tarnish the good image of the National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited (NP-SL Ltd), one of the most despicable and inconsistent local tabloids in the country, has made series of hollow, baseless and unfounded allegations which any right thinking individual could just dismiss as far from reality or the truth borne out of malice and total ignorance.
What does the writer of the article mean by saying that NP-SL Ltd and Leone oil are ‘macro managing’ the oil industry in Sierra Leone could only be a figment of his imagination or manifest his total lack of the nature of the petroleum landscape within the country.
For his understanding, NP-SL Ltd, for now, is the biggest importer and marketer of petroleum products in the country. It is a 100% indigenous oil marketing company that had contributed immensely to socio-economic development in diverse ways and still continues to do so.
The company operates according to laid down laws and there had never been an instance of its involvement in unsavoury deals. As for Leonoil, it is a new player and it is legally operating according to laid down stipulations.
NP-SL Ltd was formed by thirty-five Sierra Leoneans, former employees of the British Petroleum (BP) company out of their end of service benefits. It has been proven beyond all reasonable doubts that no politician has a stake in the company and where he got that information could also be a figment of warped thinking or imagination.
It is utter rubbish for the writer of the article to say, “Some oil dealers have complained that Leone Oil and NP have both teamed up to deprive them from getting petroleum products, even though they have been licensed by the PRA. The most frustrating aspect of this PRA, which has the statutory role to regulate the sector, is being playing underhand game in defence of the two major oil companies in the country.”
One thing that this medium is certain about is the fact that NP-SL Ltd, as a reliable and reputable petroleum company, is above reproach and had never and will never bribe anyone for undeserved favour.
It must be put into context that petroleum products are not manufactured here in this country but rather imported. As long as a company is granted license to operate it can import whatever quantity it requires to sell as long as it has the appropriate storage facility. For God sake how can NP-SL Ltd team up with another dealer to deprive other dealers from accessing petroleum products when all of them are buying from the world market?
Indeed, Dr. Brima Baluwa Koroma has proven his incompetence and his lack of understanding of the downstream sector. His style of leadership is completely incompatible to the proper functioning of the petroleum sector as he continues to ignite volatile situations that are inimical to national development.
Indisputably, it is apparent that the PRA Boss is allegedly working hand in glove with senior officials at the Ministry of Trade against NP-SL Ltd. Even NP-SL Ltd’s terminal is now manned by the Sierra Leone Police all in a bid to frustrate the highly regarded petroleum importing and marketing company.
The National Petroleum Sierra Leone Limited completely dissociates itself from the bad management of Dr. Brima Baluwa Koroma.
With regards to the yellow journalism that the author of the article, in one of our local tabloids published making baseless allegations against NP-SL Ltd and Leonoil Companies, the author just succeeded in exposing his malice, ignorance and warped mentality. It seemingly appears that he is a hired operative of those who are bent on frustrating NP-SL Ltd.
