Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and his counterpart in the Aviation Ministry, Senator Hadi Sirika have pledged to work together to eliminate the noticeable challenge faced by airline operators in accessing aviation fuel for their daily operations.
Speaking while receiving the Minister of State for Aviation and his team of Directors during a visit to the NNPC Towers, Abuja on Tuesday, Dr. Kachikwu said that though the supply and distribution of JET A1 is outside the control of government because it has since been deregulated, a meeting of importers of aviation fuel will soon be convened to address all challenges impeding the seamless supply of the product.
Dr. Kachikwu who also doubles as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC noted that though the refineries are not producing aviation fuel for now efforts would be made in due course to provide the enablers which would ensure local production in the near future.
“The immediate action point for now is to meet with all the importers of aviation fuel, we want to understand the consumption pattern and also look at their cost to ensure that they are not profiteering excessively,” the Minister said.
In his remarks, Senator Sirika noted that the need to ensure availability of JET A1 fuel has become imperative considering the fact that the product accounts for about 45 percent of the total cost of operation.
Recalled that Kachikwu had said in Lagos on Monday during a town hall meeting he had along with five other ministers that, with the refineries now working, Nigeria should be able to locally produced the required Jet A4 for the Nigerian Aviation industry.
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