Naec Felicitates New Energy Ministers On Appointment, Expresses Readiness For Collaboration.

Journalists covering Nigeria’s energy sector have congratulated the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources(Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, his counterpart and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources(Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, including the Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, over their recent appointments by president Bola Tinubu.

A press statement released by the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria, NAEC, and signed by its Chairman, Olu Philips on Wednesday, noted that the choice of the ministers for the respective portfolios is a fallout of the ministers antecedent to deliver on their core mandate aimed at achieving viable results.

The press statement further explained that the country’s Energy sector is currently grappling with several challenges requiring urgent intervention by the ministers, with a view to meeting the aspirations of President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.

The association while acknowledging the rising global energy demands, high volatile prices, and increasingly stringent environmental regulations amidst several other challenges, insists that Nigeria’s oil and gas sector must develop capacity to ensure reduction of cost, optimal performance of it’s industrial assests including the need to improve on it’s environmental footprints.

The association in the press statement also called on the new ministers to ensure the quick revival of the nation’s refineries, while conserving the scarce foreign exchange currently being used to import products into the country, with another call for the comprehensive implementation of the petroleum industry act.

Regarding the recent policy, removing subsidy on premium motor spirit, the association called on the relevant stakeholders to ensure citizens benefit from the fallout of fuel subsidy removal, while also advocating improved power generation, effective metering of homes, and the need for urgent intervention in all the associated challenges with estimated billing systems .

The press statement while disclosing the association’s readiness to partner the new ministers as they settle down on their new tasks, noted that such collaboration between the new heads, in the various critical segments of the nation’s energy sector will yield positive results that will become a reference point for Nigerians both at home and in disposal .