President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed concern that the benefits of the Federal Government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative are yet to sufficiently reach ordinary Nigerians, saying much of the gains are currently accruing to truck owners.
Tinubu spoke when he received the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President urged petroleum transport operators to ensure that the cost savings from CNG conversion translate into lower transportation costs for commuters.
“Ask your drivers to let the benefits trickle down to commuters too, because whatever benefit is coming from CNG is going into the pockets of truck owners,” Tinubu said.
He acknowledged that the impact of the CNG initiative was not spreading as quickly as he expected but expressed optimism that the benefits would eventually reach more Nigerians.
Tinubu also defended the removal of the petrol subsidy, saying the policy had enabled government to redirect funds towards the payment of workers’ salaries and the financing of major infrastructure projects.
According to him, the administration is undertaking a broader financial and economic restructuring aimed at putting the country on a more sustainable footing.
He cited the Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna and Abuja-Kano roads, as well as the proposed Sokoto-Badagry corridor, among projects benefiting from increased funding.
The President also assured Nigerians that the country’s refineries would return to operation, stressing that merely producing smoke and flames was not enough if the facilities could not operate profitably.
“I’m not a man who will look back and blame everyone, because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessors. No matter what happened in the past years, it’s my responsibility now as President to fix it and make it work for the greatest common good of our population,” he said.
Meanwhile, NUPENG President, Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, appealed to Tinubu to intervene in the growing practice of casualisation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, particularly in the upstream sector.
Oladiti described the practice as unhealthy and said repeated efforts by the union to persuade affected companies to end it had yielded little or no result.
He said NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had tolerated the situation because of the potentially damaging impact of industrial action on the national economy.
The NUPENG president urged Tinubu to use his office to ensure that workers in the sector are given proper and sustainable employment arrangements.
Oladiti also commended the administration for the rehabilitation and dualisation of federal highways, noting that improved roads would make the movement of petroleum products safer and easier for tanker drivers.
He, however, called for the rehabilitation of depots operated by the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC), saying functional storage facilities would complement efforts to revive the country’s refineries.
He further recommended that the depots be handed over to private investors to manage under an equity-based arrangement.
Oladiti also commended the administration’s efforts to revive the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries through partnerships with Chinese firms, urging the government to extend similar attention to the country’s deteriorating petroleum storage infrastructure.
Tinubu, in response, thanked NUPENG for its cooperation with the administration and described the union as an important partner in the country’s economic development.
He assured Nigerians that despite the challenges associated with the ongoing reforms, his administration remained committed to delivering economic relief and improving living conditions across the country.
“I promise you, you will enjoy a better Nigeria,” the President said.
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