Senate President Godswill Akpabio has assured Nigerians that the country will achieve self-sufficiency in the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, within the next four weeks. Speaking at the one-day South-South APC conference in Calabar, Cross River State, Akpabio praised President Bola Tinubu for his bold decision to remove the fuel subsidy, stating that the resulting temporary hardships would soon be alleviated.
Akpabio explained that his optimism is based on extensive surveillance of various refineries across the country, which informed his conclusion about the impending self-sufficiency in petrol production. He emphasized that the current administration is committed to addressing the challenges posed by the subsidy removal and ensuring that the benefits of the policy shift materialize quickly for the Nigerian populace.
“I went round the Dangote refinery and found out that by this July 2024, Nigeria is about to become self-sufficient in the production of PMS.”
“As of today, it produces enough diesel and it’s already exporting to other countries. Same with fertiliser and Urea. So we are getting to that era in the country where we produce what we consume and consume what we produce,” he said.
Akpabio also assured that the ongoing negotiations over acceptable minimum wage will be concluded shortly.
“Very soon we’ll conclude negotiations on minimum wage and Nigerians will be happy for it.”
The economy we met was not in good shape at all, I call it a ‘foamy economy.’ Despite that, the President consistently tells me, ‘I cannot complain; I campaigned and danced for this job, so I must do it and I must do it well’,” Akpabio stated.