A TWO-week ultimatum has been handed down to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) and the international oil companies (IOC) to provide immediate and short-term solution to the scarcity of cooking gas in the country.

A statement made available to The Guardian in Abuja yesterday quoted the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwan Lukman, as saying that the directive encapsulates the seriousness that the government attaches to the continued scarcity of the product.

Rilwanu declared that the Federal Government would not hesitate to wield the big stick and make it mandatory, if the anticipated response is not secured from the NLNG and the international oil companies.

The minister read the riot act to the NLNG and international oil companies at a meeting held with them in his office, which was called to proffer solutions to the current challenges faced in ensuring the availability of the product in the country.

He expressed the conviction of the government in the ability of the NLNG and IOC to deliver Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to Nigerians, given the right attitude and commitment, noting that the IOC are well conversant with the problems, which are within their purview. He explained that if they get their acts right and engage all the stakeholders positively, they could come up with solutions that will give Nigerians affordable cooking gas within the shortest possible time.

Rilwan, therefore, implored the firms to use the opportunity to dispel widely held perception that the international oil companies are more interested in more profitable export business.

Rising from the meeting, a sub-committee was constituted to suggest an immediate intervention approach and an action plan to address the challenges imposed on the system by their operations.

The sub-committee, which would be chaired by the NLNG, was also tasked to come up with recommendations that will advance the supply of gas to power programmes of the government.

Meanwhile, the new Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. E. B. P. Emuren, has assumed duties. She stated that her mission in the ministry would be to re-position it for greater height, even as she solicited the co-operation of the management team as well as staff of the ministry in the new drive.