Business
No Deregulation Untill Consensus Is Reached –Ajumogobia
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Mr Odein Ajumogobia , has said the much touted deregulation policy of the Federal Government would not commence until “a reasonable consensus is reached with all stakeholders.
This comes against the back ground of mounting anxiety over the Federal Government’s proposed deregulation of the supply, distribution and sales of refined petroleum products.
Ajumogobia said more licenses would be made available to marketers for the importation of more products beyond the required quantity in order to make fuel available.
The minister, who made this known while answering questions from journalists after the 2010 budget defence before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Down stream said he would be meeting with the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) for the approval of these licences.
The minister said that the assertion that the federal government gave out N950 billion in December is wrong as the government did not make provisions for subsidy in 2009.
“We did not have subsidy in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 budgets,” he said.
On the position of government on fuel subsidy for 2010, he said: “As long as government continues to dictate the price of fuel at the pump, we will have to subsidise, otherwise no one would bring in any fuel.
On when the government will make definite pronouncement on deregulation in order to put to rest all the speculations, he answered: “when we have a reasonable consensus. We are not looking for unanimity. We are looking for a reasonable consensus from a people who are reasonably minded; who are ready to listen to the argument on why subsidy should be removed. Once we have a reasonable consensus then you will hear our position. But there would not be deregulation without a reasonable consensus”.
The Minister said that fuel queues were still in the country because people were hoarding the products.
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