FG reaffirms fuel stability, promises no disruption

By Nana Hauwa Musa

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to the steady supply of refined petroleum products in the country.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of 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 to review developments in the downstream oil sector.

He said that Mr Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, said one of the recent issues was the purported suspension of the Naira‑for‑crude oil arrangement by Dangote Refinery, which has since been amicably resolved.

According to him, the concerns raised by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) regarding Dangote Refinery were also resolved.

Edun, who also chaired the committee, said that the committee had 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 supply of refined petroleum products across the country.

In attendance were the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu; the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Zacch Adedeji, who also chairs the Technical Committee.

Also in attendance were the 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 Dangote Refinery.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PENGASSAN had earlier announced a nationwide strike, directing all its members across offices, companies, institutions, and agencies to halt services beginning from 12:01 a.m. on 29 September.

The directive comes after PENGASSAN alleged that Nigerian workers were sacked by Dangote Refinery after joining the union.

It also claimed that management withdrew staff buses and denied entry to locals while allowing expatriates access.

The union threatened to picket the refinery if the situation were not addressed.

Dangote Refinery maintained that the restructuring was necessary after alleging acts of sabotage in different units of the refinery, which posed serious risks to human lives and operations.

(NAN