[size=15pt]Delta tackles fuel subsidy removal with more buses, boats[/size]

On January 4, 2012 · In News | 12:55 am


Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has announced that his administration has taken delivery of 100 buses and 130 speed boats (water buses) to mitigate the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy and make transportation cheap for Deltans.

The governor, who disclosed this yesterday in Asaba while inspecting the buses, assured  Deltans that the de-regulation in the oil sector would in the long run be better for Nigerians, recalling the communication industry deregulation and how Nigerians are better off today with the GSM telephone system.

He said though the deregulation of the oil sector has some painful challenges, petroleum products would at the end be cheap.

He said: “Let’s look at where we are coming from and where we are going and see the difference especially given our experience in the communication industry.” He expressed the hope that prices would eventually come down when more refineries were built.

He promised that the State Government would work round the clock to cushion the effects of the deregulation and assured Deltans that transportation would be cheap in the state since fares are subsidized up to 50% in the state.

Answering questions from reporters, Governor Uduaghan said that contactors handling projects for the state have no excuse not being on site after the festive period, adding that contractors were paid over N15billion last December.

He said because of the encouragement given to the contractors, those who did not go back to site this week would be deemed to have abandoned their projects.

“I am expecting contractors executing government projects to return to site. We paid them N15billion before Christmas and I believe they have no reason not to go back to site this week,” he said.

He explained that the money paid was to accelerate work adding that since the weather was now conducive, contractors should on their part meet the targets set.

On the Madalla Church bombing, he preached love, peace and religious tolerance and assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was on top of the security challenges facing the country.

Dr Uduaghan said there was nothing that would change the destiny of the country explaining that the different ethnic groups that make up Nigeria were brought together by God for a purpose and so allayed fears of any threat to the nation’s unity.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/delta-tackles-fuel-subsidy-removal-with-more-buses-boats/

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