NNPC, others get fresh order to end fuel scarcity in one week

The House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and other concerned regulatory agencies to end the fuel scarcity being experienced across the country in one week.

This came after the adoption of motion of urgent public importance by Sa’idu Musa Abdullahi (APC, Niger) at plenary on Tuesday.

Presenting the motion, he said in the last few months, Nigerians had been subjected to untold hardships caused by the lingering petrol scarcity, affecting economic activities and making the already trying times in the country more difficult.

He said the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) advanced several excuses to justify the fuel scarcity.

Abdullahi said, “Firstly, when the scarcity reared its ugly head at the peak of the rainy season in October this year, NMDPRA said the fuel scarcity in Abuja and other northern states was caused by rainfall which submerged the greater part of Lokoja including the highway leading to Abuja, a development that grounded all vehicular movements along that route.

“Soon after floods/rains receded in Lokoja and the petrol scarcity continued, the President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said the situation persisted because of the supply gap created by the blockade in Lokoja. IPMAN affirmed that there was enough product in the depots and that the lingering scarcity was only caused by the break in supply of the product.

“When the scarcity continued and all the excuses advanced by the stakeholders watered down, the National Operations Controller of IPMAN advanced another reason and argued that the scarcity is because of an unsteady supply of the products.

“Intelligence reports on current fuel scarcity gathered by our security agencies indicated that there is a deliberate plan by some oil marketers to derail the effort of the government in the distribution of fuel in the country by hoarding the petroleum products, thereby creating artificial scarcity all over the country.”

He said while some major marketers are currently selling fuel at government regulated price, some independent marketers sell at higher prices.

According to him, most of such independent filling stations are selling fuel at over N300 per litre.

He said, “It is observed with dismay that those who are gaining from this artificial fuel scarcity appear to be smiling home as a result of this ugly development and this has the potency to provoke innocent Nigerians against the government.

“The inability of the regulators of the petroleum sector to end this artificial scarcity of petroleum products forced the Department of State Security Services to issue an ultimatum to the NNPC, and oil marketers to end the artificial scarcity within 48-hours”.

The House therefore called on the NNPC Ltd to end the scarcity in the next one week to ease the suffering of Nigerians.

It also called on the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force and DSSS to ensure that fuel is sold at the regulated price in all retail outlets.