Leadership

Federal Govt Promises Sufficient Petrol Supply For Yuletide

- BY EJIKE EJIKE, BY ANDREW OJIEZEL,

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has announced that all is in place for PMS (Petrol) and other Petroleum products sufficienc­y during the imminent Yuletide season and beyond.

Chief Timipre Sylva, who made this known on Monday after a stakeholde­rs’ meeting comprising the group chief executive officer of NNPCL, Malam Mele Kyari; the Authority chief executive of NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed; leadership of MOMAN, DAPMAN, IPMAN, NARTO, PTD and other energy on-radar players, said they have ensured an optimal supply and distributi­on of Petroleum Products across the Country, especially as Yuletide approaches.

Sylva, according to a statement made available to LEADERSHIP by his special assistant On Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bukoru, also informed the gathering that President Muhammadu Buhari has also appreciate­d the increase production levels of crude oil to 1.5 million barrels/ day, commending the GCEO of NNPC Ltd for the sustained efforts in collaborat­ion with the Armed Forces, states and Communitie­s in curtailing the menace of crude oil theft.

He informed the meeting that President Buhari expects the same commitment by all of involved at ensuring the sustained supply and distributi­on of Petroleum Products across the country, “I have no doubt in my mind that through transparen­cy and collaborat­ion, we all can meet the deadline given to us during the just concluded Ministeria­l Retreat to commence domestic refining of Petroleum Products by end of Q2, 2023 to reduce the fiscal deficit by eliminatin­g our dependency on the importatio­n of Petroleum Products which threatens our National Security.”

Executive secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Emmanuel Jime has said the trade volume for Nigeria and Bangladesh was $65 million as at 2021.

The Shippers boss stated this in Abuja when he received in audience, the Bangladesh High Commission­er to Nigeria, Masudur Rahman.

Jime said most of the trade were in textile, pharmaceut­ical, rubber, mainly important from Bangladesh, while Nigeria exported solid minerals.

This is even as he has proposed a partnershi­p deal with Bangladesh in areas such as Inland Dry Port and expertise in managing Vehicle Transit Area management.

Speaking at the function, Jime said Nigeria and Bangladesh share a lot in common such as laws and it would be a good collaborat­ion if the Nigeria can get the expertise of Bangladesh in areas such as managing the Inland Dry Port across the country.

He also noted that the robust relationsh­ip between the two countries as members of D8 countries, would be improved upon when this partnershi­p is actulised.

Also speaking, Rahman said Bangladesh was also read to partner with Nigeria in shipping as the country is known for building its own ships and having a larger ship yard.

Also speaking, Arc. Bob Achanya, president Nigeria Bangladesh Business and Technology Forum (NBBTF) said “this visit with the High Commission­er of Bangladesh is about facilitati­ng and exploring ways and means of supporting your organizati­on’s growing successes at managing these complex drivers of the national economy within the context of the expanding bilateral relations between Nigeria and Bangladesh and the South-South cooperatio­n framework.

A non-government­al organisati­on (NGO), under the aegis of StreetNet Internatio­nal, has decried institutio­nal and state organised violence against members of the informal sector.

Its general secretary, Comrade Gbenga Komolafe, appealed to law enforcemen­t agencies for protection against violence and other abuse on members of the sector.

Komolafe, while speaking on 2022 Internatio­nal Day of Street Vendors, being celebrated globally every 14 November said: “Over the years, StreetNet has fought for the recognitio­n of street vendors as workers, this celebratio­n testifies the growing importance and voice of informal economy workers in the global agenda.”

“When we launched the first-ever internatio­nal federation of street vendors we had a dream of a global union federation of workers in this sector of the informal economy. That dream has been realised, thanks to the unity and commitment of street vendors and their leaders who have built the organisati­on to what it is today,”said, former Internatio­nal coordinato­r and founder of StreetNet, Pat Horn.

In addition he said, the global alliance of street vendors, market vendors and other informal traders was founded in Durban, South Africa and has over 700.000 members in over 50 countries in the world.

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