THE House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and other regulatory bodies to put an end to the ongoing gasoline shortage in one week, to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians,
The order was made following Sa’idu Musa Abdullahi’s (APC, Niger) adoption of a motion of urgent public urgency during Today’s plenary.
In introducing the motion, he stated that over the past few months, Nigerians had endured unspeakable hardships brought on by the persistent petrol shortage, which had an impact on economic activity and made the already challenging circumstances in the nation worse.
He said that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) advanced several excuses to justify the fuel scarcity.
The lawmaker stated, “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. The 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 bemoaned the fact that while the fuel shortage is hitting gas stations of some major marketers that are currently selling fuel at a price set by the government some independent marketers have sufficient petroleum products available for sale at unregulated pricing.
He continued by saying that the majority of these filling stations ended up selling fuel for more than 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 consequently urged the NNPC Ltd. to put an end to the artificial scarcity within the next week in order to lessen Nigerians’ suffering.
The Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission was further adviced to work with the Nigerian Police Force and the DSS to make sure that fuel is sold at the set price and in all retail locations.
The House requires the Legislative Compliance Committee and the Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to ensure compliance.
