FG Moves To Make Down Stream Efficient… No Date Fixed For Deregulation

The Federal Government has reiterated its determination to make the down stream efficient and effective as it denies that effective date for the take off the deregulation of petroleum down streams is November.

Minister of State for Petroleum, Bar. Odein Ajumogobia who stated this in an interview with The Tide at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Monday explained that the time for deregulation would be made known when government has taken decision on it.

Ajomogobia noted that the government is following the processes gradually and engaging all stakeholders, stressing that the government is not derailing.

The minister however noted that the issue of deregulation is not new and that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government has embraced the policy of deregulation, globalisation and commercialisation which are still on-going process.

He warned that Nigeria cannot continue to wait for perfection before it starts making progress, noting that the pipelines are not working and that petroleum had to be trucked across the country for distribution, pointing out that pipelines are the most efficient ways of transporting fuel.

The minister assured that the Federal Government is currently repairing the pipelines to put them in good state. “NNPC has done a lot to put the pipelines in good shape. Our refineries too are undergoing turn-around maintenance, while Kaduna Refinery turn-around has been completed”.

According to him, government is trying to fix the pipelines as well as the infrastructural constraints, noting that money spent by government on subsidy would be very useful in addressing some of these infrastructural problems.