On December 7, 2017, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was
reported to have ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry OF Petroleum Resources to
address the fuel scarcity in some parts of the country at the
material time. The decision was conveyed to Nigerians by the
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at the end of the
FEC meeting which held in Abuja on that day.
The minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu
who could not attend the meeting was said to have given FEC
assurance that there was no cause for alarm. According to Mr.
Mohammed, Kachikwu had told the FEC that there was enough fuel in
the country to last until January 2018. And that there was no
intention by the federal government to increase the pump price of
fuel.
Nigerians were also informed that the Group Managing director of
NNPC, Maikanti Baru, had cut short his trip to London as queues
returned to the country’s filling stations. Before leaving for
London, Baru had said, “For the umpteenth time, I wish to call on
all Nigerians to stop panic buying. We have said times without
number that NNPC has sufficient products to cater for the needs of
all consumers.” Baru was further reported to have directed that
more truckloads of petroleum products be dispatched to various
parts of the country to cushion the effects of excessive demand
caused by panic buying.
Since the assurance was given over three weeks ago, the fuel
crisis has been compounded without any solution in sight. In view
of the shortage of petrol throughout the country, it is indubitably
clear that Messrs Kachukwu and Baru deliberately set out to deceive
the Nigerian people when they gave the misleading impression that
there was enough fuel to cater for all consumers. Up till now, both
highly placed officials have not tendered a public apology for
engaging in public deceit. Neither has the substantive Minister of
Petroleum Resources, President Mohammadu Buhari explained the cause
of the ongoing fuel crisis which has subjected the Nigerian people
to untold misery and agony.
Although the federal government has continued to assure the
nation that there is no plan to increase the price of petrol, the
independent marketers have said that they can no longer import
refined fuel and sell at N145 per litre. Convinced that the
government lacks the political will to deal with them the marketers
have illegally increased the pump price of the product to N300 per
liter in several parts of the country. The cheap blackmail of the
importers ought to be rejected because they were importing the
product, selling at N145 per liter and smiling to the banks when a
dollar exchanged for over N500 last year. Since the federal
government claims that there is enough fuel to cater for all
consumers the police should be mobilized to monitor the supply of
the product throughout the country and ensure that all saboteurs
are arrested and prosecuted forthwith.
On December 7, 2017, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was
reported to have ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry OF Petroleum Resources to
address the fuel scarcity in some parts of the country at the
material time. The decision was conveyed to Nigerians by the
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at the end of the
FEC meeting which held in Abuja on that day.
The minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu
who could not attend the meeting was said to have given FEC
assurance that there was no cause for alarm. According to Mr.
Mohammed, Kachikwu had told the FEC that there was enough fuel in
the country to last until January 2018. And that there was no
intention by the federal government to increase the pump price of
fuel.
Nigerians were also informed that the Group Managing director of
NNPC, Maikanti Baru, had cut short his trip to London as queues
returned to the country’s filling stations. Before leaving for
London, Baru had said, “For the umpteenth time, I wish to call on
all Nigerians to stop panic buying. We have said times without
number that NNPC has sufficient products to cater for the needs of
all consumers.” Baru was further reported to have directed that
more truckloads of petroleum products be dispatched to various
parts of the country to cushion the effects of excessive demand
caused by panic buying.
Since the assurance was given over three weeks ago, the fuel
crisis has been compounded without any solution in sight. In view
of the shortage of petrol throughout the country, it is indubitably
clear that Messrs Kachukwu and Baru deliberately set out to deceive
the Nigerian people when they gave the misleading impression that
there was enough fuel to cater for all consumers. Up till now, both
highly placed officials have not tendered a public apology for
engaging in public deceit. Neither has the substantive Minister of
Petroleum Resources, President Mohammadu Buhari explained the cause
of the ongoing fuel crisis which has subjected the Nigerian people
to untold misery and agony.
Although the federal government has continued to assure the
nation that there is no plan to increase the price of petrol, the
independent marketers have said that they can no longer import
refined fuel and sell at N145 per litre. Convinced that the
government lacks the political will to deal with them the marketers
have illegally increased the pump price of the product to N300 per
liter in several parts of the country. The cheap blackmail of the
importers ought to be rejected because they were importing the
product, selling at N145 per liter and smiling to the banks when a
dollar exchanged for over N500 last year. Since the federal
government claims that there is enough fuel to cater for all
consumers the police should be mobilized to monitor the supply of
the product throughout the country and ensure that all saboteurs
are arrested and prosecuted forthwith.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/unending-fuel-scarcity-by-femi-falana-san/