President Bola Tinubu has appealed to drivers and transport operators to ensure that the benefits of the Federal Government’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative reach ordinary Nigerians.
Tinubu said the gains from the CNG programme were currently benefiting truck owners more than commuters and called for a faster spread of the benefits.
“Whatever benefit that is coming from CNG is going to the pockets of truck owners. It’s not spreading as fast as I would like it, but it should trickle down to the masses,” he said.
The President spoke on Thursday when he received the leadership of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He described NUPENG as a critical partner in Nigeria’s economy and an important stakeholder in the energy and petroleum sector.
Mr Tinubu also assured the union that the country’s refineries would return to full operation, stressing that the facilities must be productive and profitable.
“The refineries that you mentioned are going to come back to work,” he said.
He added that merely seeing flames and smoke from a refinery was not enough to establish that it was operating effectively.
“Ordinary flame and the smoke of refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it’s profitable and it yields the value for which it is built,” the President said.
The President said he had accepted responsibility for the assets and liabilities inherited by his administration and was determined to ensure they served the interests of Nigerians.
“I’m not a man who will look back on everything because I’ve accepted the asset and liability of my predecessors. No matter what has happened in years past, it’s my responsibility now as the President to fix it, make it work for the largest common value of our population,” he said.
He also recalled his engagements with organised labour before assuming office, particularly discussions over the removal of petrol subsidy.
Deefending the government’s economic reforms, Tinubu argued that the resources saved through the reforms were being redirected to infrastructure and other sectors of the economy.
According to him, the government is also working to secure funding for major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Badagry, Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Kano and Sokoto-Badagry highways.
Tinubu thanked NUPENG for its cooperation and urged the union and Nigerians to continue supporting democracy and the government’s reforms.
He said the sacrifices associated with the reforms would eventually produce positive results.
“You will enjoy better Nigeria,” the President told the NUPENG leadership.
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