“You can’t remove fuel subsidy through mere words” – Dogara dares FG

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Monday warned the Federal Government that it could only remove the subsidy on petroleum products by initiating an amendment to the Price Control Act or have it expunged totally by the National Assembly.

Dogara stated this in his office in Abuja when he received a delegation of members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria led by the President, Chinedu Okoronkwo.

“This is the most legal way to do it so that subsidy can go permanently,” he said.

“Its is not by policy pronouncements alone; so it is for the government to quickly put the board in place and this issue can be done with once and for all”.

Dogara also lamented the situation in which Nigerians were struggling to get fuel.

“It is inexcusable that we cannot refine our crude in Nigeria for own consumption.

“Why are the citizens of an oil-producing country queuing up daily for fuel that they have in abundance?

“We need your expertise (IPMAN) to deal with this national shame.”

Earlier, Okonkwo informed the speaker that IPMAN planned to build two refineries in the country, one each in Bayelsa and Kogi states.

This, he explained, would not only ensure employment for Nigerians, but also help check incidences of fuel scarcity.

Okoronkwo added that IPMAN was also seeking the approval of government to engage in the swapping of crude oil for refined products as an interim solution to the scarcity of products at “no cost to government”.

#buhari #Dogara