N’assembly panel: Activities of presidential initiative on CNG shrouded in secrecy

The national assembly joint committee on petroleum resources (upstream, downstream, gas) says the activities of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) are shrouded in secrecy. 

The lawmakers criticised the PCNGI on Monday when Ekperikpe Ekpo, minister of state for petroleum resources (gas), appeared before the joint committee to defend the ministry’s 2024 budget estimate.

In August, President Bola Tinubu approved the establishment of the PCNGI to ease the impact of the petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians.

The initiative also aims to revolutionise the transportation landscape in the country by targeting over 11,500 new CNG-enabled vehicles and 55,000 CNG conversion kits for existing PMS-dependent vehicles.

Speaking at the session, Agom Jarigbe, lead chairman of the joint committee, said the PCNGI has ignored calls by the national assembly to provide updates on their activities.

He said the activities of the presidential initiative are “shrouded in secrecy” and that even Ekpo is “in the dark” about their undertakings.

“The steering committee on the PCNGI has also refused to brief the national assembly on its activities and programmes,” Jarigbe said.

“Their activities are shrouded in secrecy and the ministers of state for petroleum resources (gas) are totally in the dark.

“In trying to get self-help, the PCNGI has embarked on a fund-raiser which comes up tomorrow in order to extort funds from so-called stakeholders.

“As a parliament, we do not align ourselves with running government programmes in disregard of the provisions of the law.”

The committee accused the PCNGI of not accounting for the sum of N500 billion.

“We cannot achieve what Mr. President wants without providing for the CNG-project and other very important projects in the Appropriations Act,” the joint committee said.

“Doing so will only open a window for fraud which will impact negatively on the citizenry.

“Let it be on record that the steering committee of the PCNGI cannot account for the funds already provided from the N500 billion approved for palliatives for the purpose of CNG advancement in the country.”

The lawmaker commended the president for his “lofty initiative” of transiting the country from fossil fuel to natural gas.

The committee appealed to the president to ensure that “proper framework” is deployed through the petroleum resources ministry with a “transparent budgeting system”.

‘PRETROLEUM MINISTRY BUDGET HAS NO POLICY DIRECTION’

The committee said the ministry’s budget lacked the provisions to meet Tinubu’s promise of cushioning the effect of petrol subsidy removal through various projects.

“The joint committee observes with utter dismay the non-provision of those projects and palliatives in the 2024 Appropriations Bill which has been made available to the joint committee,” Jarigbe said.

“The budget of the ministry of petroleum resources is neither here nor there.

“It does not reflect the policy direction of Mr. President on the decade of gas and the use of compressed natural gas as an alternative source of fuel.”

The committee chairman said the sum of N5.8 billion allocated for the ministry as capital expenditure is insufficient, describing it as a “smack of unseriousness”.