Nigeria’s Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva has assured that the country would not remove fuel subsidy at the moment.
He gave the assurance at a meeting of stakeholders in the oil and gas sector on Monday, which was at the instance of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
According to him, it is clear to the blind and audible to the deaf that the timing for removal of fuel subsidy is wrong.
Earlier, the Senate President laid the foundation for the stakeholders’ gathering after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on the possible removal of petroleum subsidy.
Sylva said the issue of fuel subsidy is a legislative one since the 2022 Appropriation Act provides for subsidy up to June this year, implying that there won’t be subsidy from July.
The only option is for the National Assembly to revisit the Appropriation Act with the view to amending it to provide for subsidy beyond June 2022, adding that “law is no cast in iron”.
The GMD of NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari simply said the company which has the responsibility to fill the gap in oil prices for the nation will do just that at all times.
The meeting which is being attended by the Ministers of Finance and Petroleum (State), GMD, NNPC Ltd, top officials in the oil and gas was chaired by the Senate President and attended by the Senate Leader, later went into close session.
By Newsdiaryonline
