The Federal Government has so far saved about N400bn as a result of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, since May 31, 2023, when the initiative was officially implemented, oil marketers stated on Thursday.
Chinedu Okonkwo, who is the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria told SpeedUp9ja on a short phone call, on friday.
The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari had earlier revealed, during a meeting with oil and gas operators in February, that the country spends N400 billion monthly on fuel subsidies.
Speaking on the state of the sector owing to the removal of the subsidy and changes in the country’s foreign exchange market, Okonkwo said that the deregulation has a long time impact.
According to him, the development would either lead to an increase in fuel price or a decrease depending on the market-determined price of forex.
He added that the impact on the masses would gradually decrease by introducing Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, into the sector.
“You know how much the government is spending monthly on fuel subsidies payment, but that expenditure to the tune of dollars or Naira will be saved.
“The government has indeed reduced spending on fuel subsidies, though the thing is biting, so we have drafted an alternative in Compressed Natural Gas, CNG,” he said.