Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation has stated that the scarcity of jet A1 and the ensuing high cost will only be resolved sustainably when the Dangote and Port Harcourt refineries begin operation.
This was stated on Tuesday by the minister while addressing State House correspondents shortly after the secretary-general, International Civil Aviation Organisation, Juan Carlos Salazar visited the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“The scarcity and high cost of Jet A1 in civil aviation is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is a global phenomenon driven by many factors. Some of them include even low capacity to refine the product,” Sirika said.
He added, “It’s also in high demand around the world, it has increased activity and increased the number of airplanes out there and users of this jet A1.
“Plus, also the Ukraine crisis and many more. It’s a time when crude itself is so expensive today, it is in the hundreds of dollars per barrel and only the high cost of Jet A1 product in Nigeria. Also the peculiarity of the fact that we’re not refining the product, so to speak.
“And I did address the press a couple of days ago, saying that, by the grace of God, perhaps once the Dangote refinery is online or if the government fixes the Port Harcourt refinery, which is now ongoing, we will begin to refine this product and sell it.”
He said as an interim measure, airline operators of Nigeria have agreed to nominate a member or other major oil marketers to be given the opportunity to import the product.