Against the backdrop of the planned strike action by members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) over a dispute with Dangote Refinery, the Federal Government has assured Nigerians of steady supply of refined petroleum products.
This was dislosed by the Federal Ministry of Finance in a statement signed by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohmmed Manga, after the Steering Committee of the Domestic Crude Oil and Refined Products Sales in Local Currency Initiative met earlier on Sunday to review developments in the downstream oil sector.
The meeting, chaired by the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, noted two recent issues: the purported suspension of the Naira-for-crude oil arrangement by the Dangote Refinery, which has since been amicably resolved, and the concerns raised by PENGASSAN regarding the private refinery.
According to the statement, the meeting had in attendance the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, who also chairs the Technical Committee, the representatives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd., Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Afreximbank.
He said the at the meeting, the Dangote Refinery “reaffirmed that there will be no disruption in the supply of refined petroleum products” across the country.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the committee reassured that the crude oil for the Naira initiative will continue. It also assured that all outstanding issues, particularly the dispute between the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and Dangote Refinery, are being addressed with urgency and in good faith,” he stated.
Manga added that the federal government remained fully committed to ensuring energy security, protecting consumers, and maintaining stability in the domestic petroleum products market.
