Minister of State for Petroleum Assets, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, throughout a ministerial sectoral replace in Abuja, stated the Federal Authorities of Nigeria is just not conscious Dangote Refinery has begun importing its crude oil from america.
This disclosure got here straight from the occasion, marking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first 12 months in workplace, which was rife with discussions that hinted at a major hole within the authorities’s oversight of the oil sector.
Talking on the occasion, attended by key figures together with the Ministers of Price range and Nationwide Planning, FCT, Youth Improvement, and others, Lokpobiri expressed his shock over the Dangote Refinery’s option to supply crude oil from overseas. “I’m not conscious that Dangote Refinery has began importing crude oil from the US.
This revelation is why we’re pushing for a rise in native manufacturing,” he said. The minister emphasised the federal government’s intent to ramp up drilling operations to spice up home oil manufacturing, which might assist not solely Dangote however different refineries nationwide.
The Subsidy Confusion
One other vital matter on the briefing was the continuing debate about gas subsidies. Regardless of rumors on the contrary, Lokpobiri reiterated the administration’s stance that gas subsidies had been eradicated, aligning with President Tinubu’s coverage from his first day in workplace.
“And I can affirm to you in the present day that the subsidy is gone,” Lokpobiri declared, clarifying that whereas direct gas subsidies are now not in place, the federal government continues to discover different methods to assist its residents, doubtlessly by subsidies in areas like meals safety.