The Minister of Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, appeared before the National Assembly on Friday for the 2025 budget defence session.
The session, however, was marred by disruptions as lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of budget documents before the meeting.
The situation escalated during Senator Lokpobiri’s presentation, with one lawmaker confronting Hon. Ekpo over the oversight.
Heineken Lokpobiri
Apologizing for the delay, Senator Lokpobiri described the situation as unintentional and reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to fostering a collaborative relationship with the National Assembly.
During the session, Hon. Ekpo outlined key government initiatives, including efforts to reduce petroleum sector explosions and promote Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a cleaner energy alternative. He revealed that ₦222 billion had been allocated to six companies to develop midstream and downstream infrastructure for nationwide CNG adoption.
The Ministry of Petroleum Resources has proposed a ₦4.25 billion budget for 2025, covering personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures. The session also reviewed the ministry’s 2024 budget performance, spotlighting reforms such as promoting modular refineries and boosting local refining capacity to strengthen the oil and gas sector.
