FG Vows to Continue Naira-for-Crude Deal
The Federal Government has confirmed that crude and refined product sales in Naira initiative will continue as a national policy.
This assurance was contained in the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Federal Ministry of Finance on Wednesday morning amid growing inquiries on the status of the policy.
The Ministry stated the initiative, first approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), is a long-term strategic directive and not a short-term or provisional measure.
According to the Ministry, stakeholders have reconvened to reiterate their full support and ongoing commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of the initiative.
The policy, which mandates the transaction of crude oil and refined petroleum products in Naira, is aimed at strengthening the country’s economic sovereignty, enhancing local refining capacity, and stabilizing the foreign exchange market by reducing the demand for dollars in domestic petroleum transactions.
The Ministry explained that this policy is structured to foster energy security and encourage investment in domestic refining infrastructure.
“The Crude and Refined Product Sales in Naira initiative is not a temporary or time-bound intervention, but a key policy directive designed to support sustainable local refining, bolster energy security, and reduce reliance on foreign exchange in the domestic petroleum market,” the post read.
“As with any major policy shift, the Committee acknowledges that implementation challenges may arise from time to time. However, such issues are being actively addressed through coordinated efforts among all parties.
The post also revealed that officials of the Ministry of Finance and Technical Sub-Committee on the Crude and Refined Product Sales in Naira initiative met on Tuesday to review progress and address ongoing implementation matters.
The meeting was attended by Edun, the Chairman of the Implementation Committee; the Chairman of the Technical Sub-Committee and Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji; the Chief Financial Officer of NNPCL, Dapo Segun; the Coordinator of NNPC Refineries; Management of NNPC Trading; representatives of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
Others at the meeting include senior officials from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), representative of Afreximbank, as well as the Secretary of the Committee, Hauwa Ibrahim.
