Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari, has dropped the hint that a litre of fuel may sell between N320 and N340 in 2022.

Speaking at the presentation of the World Bank Nigeria Development Update, November 2021 edition titled “Time for Business Unusual” in Abuja on Tuesday, Kyari assured that fuel subsidy removal would definitely be achieved in 2022 as it was now fully backed by law.

He said that subsidy would have been eliminated in 2020 but certain factors prevented it.

He, however, said that the law provides that by the end of February 2022, the nation should be out of the subsidy regime.

“There will be no provision for it legally in our system, but I am also sure you will appreciate that government has a bigger social responsibility to cater for the ordinary and therefore engage in a process that will ensure that we exit in the most subtle and easy manner,” he said.

On the hike in prices of cooking gas, he said that it was a demand and supply issue as there was a global crunch on supply of gas and many countries were now threatened by lack of supply in December.

He added that the product was not under any subsidy regime and therefore irrespective of where it was produced, would follow the global trend.

Kyari, however, assured that the company was working on increasing local production to meet the needs of consumers.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, had at the event said Nigeria will remove fuel subsidy by 2022 and substitute the subsidy with N5000-a-month transportation grant to the poorest Nigerians.

The minister said the grant will be distributed to about 30 to 40 million Nigerians who make up the poorest population of the country.

She said: “The subsidies regime in the oil sector remains unsustainable and economically disingenuous.

“Ahead of the target date of mid-2022 for the complete elimination of fuel subsidies, we are working with our partners on measures to cushion potential negative impact of the removal of the subsidies on the most vulnerable at the bottom 40% of the population.

“One of such measures would be to institute a monthly transport subsidy in the form of cash transfer of N5,000 to between 30 – 40 million deserving Nigerians.”