From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Romanus Ugwu, Uche Usim, Abuja and Bimbola Oyesola (Lagos)
from Lagos to Sokoto, Maiduguri, Calabar and all across the country the cry of Nigerians over the horrific scarcity of petrol has become so deafening as the people languish at filling stations in queues stretching several hundred outwards.
Coming at this critical period, the scarcity has marred the yuletide and thrown the Nigerian into agony and desperation.
Expectedly, transport fares have rocketed up and forced many families to cancel their plans to travel home to their villages to spend the Yuletide.
Buhari summons NNPC boss
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday summoned the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru, over the persisting fuel scarcity across the country.
The Presidency announced the meeting between Buhari and Baru in a tweet on its twitter handle, @NGRPresident.
The message read: “President @MBuhari meeting with GMD @NNPCgroup, @DrMKBaru, regarding the fuel supply situation nationwide.”
Buhari met the NNPC boss inside his official residence at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was held as fuel queues continued to increase at the few filling stations selling the product across the country.
The meeting between the President and Baru came at a time when a litre of petrol is selling at between N300 and N400 per litre as against the N145 per litre official pump price
The presidency also tweeted that efforts were ongoing to end the scarcity, saying, “The President is very concerned about the situation and all efforts are going into a speedy resolution. Update soon.”
As of the time of filing this report, there had not been any update on the meeting on the Twitter handle.
We sleep at filling stations, motorists lament
The persistent fuel scarcity in the country has degenerated to the point that motorists now spend up to 24 hours in filling stations in their efforts to get petrol. Which now sells for between N145 to N300 a litre, depending on the state and local government area.
In Abuja, hundreds of motorists were seen lamenting at various filling stations for many hours waiting for the product.
The ugly development has forced motorists to attempt to court the friendship of petrol attendants and managers who are likely to inform them when they are likely to have the product.
Some stations, Sunday gathered, allegedly hoard their products and sell at higher price only at night between the hours of 8pm and 11pm.
Investigations by Sunday Sun revealed that many filling station owned by independent marketers have defied threats by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to either adjust their meters upwards or sell above the approved pump price of N145/litre. Either way, motorists are at the receiving end of the scarcity nightmare.
A journalist, John Ofili, said he hunted for petrol for over two days before he was able to queue for up to fours hours at one of the NNPC mega stations in Wuse to fill his vehicle’s tank.
“This is a disturbing development. I went to a station at Biaji road around Kubwa on Friday night. Those people sell only at night. Government agencies are aware. Yet, they get away with it. This is saddening”, he said.
Another motorist, Ibe Ndem lamented. “As a commercial motorist, I cannot buy black market. It’s suicidal. So, I must queue anywhere I see that they are selling no matter how long the queue is. My car slept at Nipco last night. No petrol. This morning (Saturday), I left my house around 5am to resume at the station. I got petrol around 5pm because their truck got here late and it had to discharge.
“This Christmas is already messed up. We may spend the whole day at filling stations”, he groaned.
Unfortunately, the worsening petrol scarcity has taken its toll on transportation cost.
Investigations by Sunday Sun also revealed that Abuja-Enugu which hitherto was N7,000 has jumped to N15,000 as at Friday. Abuja-Lagos that was N10,000 on the average is now N18,000 and above depending on the type of vehicle and the transport company. Those with luggage are charged higher.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday said it had intensified efforts to flood the market with petrol and other products.
Its spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu said six major marketers, namely, Total, Forte Oil, Oando Plc, MRS, 11Plc and Nipco Plc, have started loading products round the clock from their various depots in Lagos for onward delivery to all parts of the country.
Earlier in the week, NNPC GMD, Dr. Maikanti Baru, had stated that the corporation’s 1billion litres petrol cargo imports had started to arrive, saying that supplies to parts of the country had been doubled to 80million litres per day since the current hiccup in the supply chain was noticed.
NUPENG decries Nigerians’ suffering over fuel scarcity
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has decried the current suffering and pains of Nigerians as a result of the persistent and what it described as unjustified fuel scarcity.
This is even as it called on the government to quickly address the situation instead of trading blames when the depots are dry. The union condemned the incessant fuel scarcity, which it noted has resulted in long queues, loss of man-hours and endless search for the products.
NUPENG president, Igwe Achese, stated that the scarcity has further worsened the sufferings of the citizens through increase in transport fares, rising pricing of goods and services as the Christmas and New Year festivities approach.
”It was a national shame and embarrassment for the citizens to celebrate the Christmas under this kind of atmosphere when Nigeria is the seventh largest producer of crude oil”, he said.
The NUPENG president reiterated the need for the federal government; Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC to tell the nation what is actually happening, as the two labour unions in the sector are not on strike.
He added, “We therefore called on the Federal government to implore the appropriate bodies to flood the nation with petroleum products as we enter the year 2018 as stop gap measure.
“In the long run, the nation’s four refineries must be revamped to reduce the pressure on foreign exchange for importation of petroleum products from abroad.”
We empathise with Nigerians –APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has pleaded with Nigerians on the difficulties the lingering fuel scarcity has inflicted on them during this Yuletide, stressing that the party empathises with them.
In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ruling party condemned the desperation by the opposition party to make the government and the party, look bad by maliciously fabricating and circulating fictitious statements.
The statement read: “Our party acknowledges the difficulties Nigerians are currently experiencing as a result of the unfortunate fuel scarcity across the country; especially at this Yuletide period.”
“We understand that the Federal Government is doing everything to improve the situation and bring succour to the people as soon as possible. We also understand the unhappiness of Nigerians at this situation, which is happening for the first time in the Christmas period since the APC administration came to power,” further the ruling party noted.
Frowning at what it alleged as malicious statements circulated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party said: “We also wish to note that while we accept the choice of the opposition PDP to make political gains out of the difficulties that Nigerians are experiencing as a result of this fuel scarcity, we however condemn their desperation to make the government and our party look bad by maliciously fabricating and circulating fictitious statements in the names of our government and party officials and then attack us on the basis of those same statements that they fabricated in the first place. This is bad politics.”
While pleading with Nigerians for patience, the APC said: “Once again we empathise with Nigerians at this difficult time and appeal for patience with the Federal Government as they make efforts to improve the situation and find lasting solution to this problem that has bedevilled every administration in our country, including the PDP administration under whose government, Nigerians would recall, the oil cabal enjoyed unprecedented prosperity.”
FG not contemplating hike in petrol pump price –SGF
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has assured Nigerians that the Federal Government is not contemplating any form of hike in the pump price of petroleum products.
Mustapha disclosed this yesterday at the handing over ceremony of the mantle of leadership as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) at the authority’s headquarters in Lokoja.
He said that the fuel scarcity being experienced in the country over the last two weeks was being addressed by relevant agencies of government, adding that the long queues would ease off soon.
The SGF attributed the scarcity to greed on the part of the marketers who created artificial shortfall to make profits.
Mustapha lamented the attitude of some Nigerians who derive pleasure from seeing others suffer by inflicting pains on the people, adding that it was unfair and ungodly for marketers to take advantage of the rush by the people to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
“I can assure the people that a day or two after the yuletide, the queue will ease out. The marketers created the scarcity but we have engaged all the relevant stakeholders and we are confident that it will soon normalise.”
“We are not thinking about increase in the pump price. We have not discussed it and we will not increase the price,” he said, adding that panic buying was unwarranted as there was much product available.
He commended the staff of NIWA for their cooperation and commitment to duty while he headed the authority, saying he would remain an ambassador of the authority, as he is now in a better position to advance its cause.
He noted that his 15 months at the helm of affairs of the organisation afforded him great opportunity to add value to his life, adding that it was NIWA that propped him up for the present assignment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) stated in a report that Mustapha, who assumed office as MD of NIWA on July 11, 2016, reiterated the need to strengthen the law setting up the authority to enable it succeed in its statutory role of administering the inland waterways.
In his response, the acting Managing Director of the authority, Mr Danladi Ibrahim, assured the SGF that every project he started before leaving would be pursued and executed with vigour.
“NIWA is your baby sir. It is our prayers that you nurse the baby to maturity. We will continue to consult you anytime the need arises. Please, don’t be tired of us”, he said.