Nigerian governors condemn the ongoing dependence on petrol imports, calling it ‘shameful’ amid the national fuel crisis. Discover insights and proposed solutions for Nigeria’s energy future.
The governors of the 36 states in the federation expressed their embarrassment that, even though Nigeria is a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), it still imports petrol.
This occurred as the governors voiced their concern about the ongoing crisis in the country’s petroleum industry.
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, mentioned this during a conversation with journalists following the governors’ meeting that began on Wednesday in Abuja.
remembers that the governors had invited Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), to update them on steps being taken to address accessibility and affordability issues of petroleum products in order to ease Nigerians’ difficulties.
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Uzodinma emphasized the importance of supporting local initiatives, highlighting the President’s recent introduction as a step in the right direction. He urged support for Dangote Refinery and stressed repairing our refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna to boost domestic production and consumption by producing what we eat and eating what we produce.
We shouldn’t depend on importing crude oil. I find it fundamentally wrong for an oil-producing nation like ours to rely on petroleum product imports, especially when other OPEC members of similar standing are refining their own crude domestically.
The governors proposed buying petroleum products in naira and mentioned that refining these products locally could create numerous opportunities for citizens while enhancing the country’s economy.
They also acknowledged that Nigerians were facing difficulties and committed to collaborating with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the country’s challenges, such as kidnapping and banditry.
