Removal Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Sarki Auwalu has thrown more light on a statement he reportedly made in Lagos in which he was quoted by an online medium to have projected N1000 as cost of a litre of petrol.
In statement by the Head, Public Affairs of the regulatory agency, Mr. Paul Auwalu he explained the context of his remarks made at an event in Lagos and noted that his comment was misinterpreted regarding subsidy removal.
Auwalu noted the clarification followed an online publication stating that the price of petrol could rise up to N1000/litre upon the subsidy removal without alternative energy.
“We wish to state that the headline of the publication is misleading as the comments of the Director/CEO DPR was clearly taken out of context, ”the statement said.
The agency explained that the Director/CEO specifically created a scenario of price instability of petrol based on current dollar to naira differentials to the extent that Nigeria continues to rely on the importation of petrol.
Auwalu stressed that he had said that without creating alternative energy sources like Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and autogas, which will provide price buffers for consumers and ultimately crash the price of petrol, then the product will be subject to prevailing market forces.
The director reemphasized that the strategy for alternative energy sources is a cardinal programme of the government which has led to the declaration of the Decade of Gas (DoG) with the objective to migrate the Nigerian economy to a gas based economy by 2030.
“The department hereby restates that it will continue to enable businesses and create opportunities through its downstream focus on Quality, Quantity, Integrity and safety (QQIS), ”the statement concluded.
