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The Senator representing Cross River North Senatorial District, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, DSSRS, has reiterated the need for the federal government to make deliberate efforts to transit from reliance on oil to dependence on natural gas, through effective and transparent budgetary provisions, in a bid to turn the fortunes of the nation’s economy.
The lawmaker stated this on Monday when the joint Senate/House of Reps Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream, Downstream & Gas), received a delegation from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources led by the two Ministers of State, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Ph.D and Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo for the defense of the Ministry’s 2024 Budget Proposal, at the National Assembly Complex.
Senator Jarigbe who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas and Lead Chairman of the joint committee also noted that, the budget did not sufficiently address the President’s commitment to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal by introducing palliative.
He criticized the allocation of 5.8 billion Naira as the capital budget for a ministry crucial to achieving the Natural Gas Revolution Policy and easing the hardship faced by the masses, describing it as inadequate and un-serious.
“As a parliament, we do not align ourselves with running government programmes in disregard of the provisions of the Law.
“We cannot achieve what Mr. President wants, without providing for the CNG-Project and other very important projects in the 2024 Appropriations Act” he said.
In response, Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), revealed that the ministry received an allocation of N9.64 billion for 2024, with breakdowns for personnel, overhead costs, and capital expenditure.
