The Federal Government through the Minister of Petroleum Dr. Rilwanu Lukman has said that export of crude oil from the country will soon come to an end as the Federal Government contemplates a policy of refining all crude produced in the country.

The minister at an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Downstream Petroleum in the National Assembly aimed at addressing the persisting crisis in the supply of petroleum products also reiterated the administration's determination to sustain the policy of full deregulation of the industry.

Lukman flanked by the Minister of State, Mr. Odion Ajumogobia, Special Adviser on Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Egbogah, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Alhaji Mohammed Barkindo and other senior officials of the ministry also lamented the poor maintenance culture of the refineries which he blamed for the poor state of the refineries.

Stakeholders from the sector including the Major Oil Marketers and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) at the occasion argued for full deregulation of the sector insisting that they were not benefiting from the more than N500 billion subsidy on petroleum products.

Yesterday's meeting was chaired by Senator Emmanuel Paulker, chairman of the Senate Committee on Downstream and had Senators Enyinninya Abaribe and Abubakar Gada in attendance.