Abuja, Nigeria: In a renewed effort to stabilize Nigeria’s energy sector, the Federal Government has reaffirmed its dedication to ensuring a consistent supply of refined petroleum products across the country.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director, Information and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga, in Abuja on Sunday.
He said that the steering committee of the Domestic Crude Oil and Refined Products Sales in Local Currency Initiative met earlier today to review developments in the downstream oil sector.
He stated that Mr Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, mentioned that the two recent issues are the purported suspension of the Naira-for-crude oil arrangement by the Dangote Refinery, which has since been amicably resolved.
According to Jim, the concerns raised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) regarding the Dangote Refinery have also been resolved.
Edun, who also chaired the committee, said that the committee has reassured that the crude oil for the Naira initiative would continue.
The Minister said that all outstanding issues, particularly the dispute between PENGASSAN and Dangote Refinery, are being addressed with urgency and in good faith.
Edun said that the federal government remains fully committed to ensuring energy security, protecting consumers, and maintaining stability in the domestic petroleum products market.
He reaffirmed that there would be no disruption in the nationwide supply of refined petroleum products.
In attendance were the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Zacch Adedeji, who also chairs the Technical Committee.
Also in attendance were representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd., the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Afreximbank, and the Dangote Refinery.
PENGASSAN has earlier announced a nationwide strike, directing all its members across offices, companies, institutions and agencies to halt services beginning from 12:01 am Sept. 29,
The directive comes after PENGASSAN alleged that Dangote Refinery sacked Nigerian workers after they joined the union.
It also claimed that management withdrew staff buses and denied entry to locals, while allowing expatriates to access the area.
The union threatened to picket the refinery if the situation was not addressed.
Dangote Refinery maintained that the restructuring was necessary following allegations of sabotage in various units of the refinery, which posed serious risks to human life and operations.