FUEL SCARCITY: REPRESENTATIVES REQUEST THAT SECURITY AGENCIES GO AFTER “SABOTEUR” OIL MARKETERS.

The House of Representatives has directed relevant security agencies to investigate oil marketers who are to blame for the recent fuel shortages across the country.

The lower chamber also directed that relevant House committees investigate the scarcity, and that downstream regulators appear before the House leadership on Thursday.

The resolutions came after the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi) during plenary on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, motorists across Nigeria have had difficulty obtaining petroleum products, while commuters have lamented the ripple effects of scarcity as a result of skyrocketing transportation fares in major cities.

Long lines of vehicles can be seen at the filling stations. Petrol stations across the country are now selling it for between N195 and N300 per litre. In some outlying communities, fuel stations charge as much as N500 per litre.

Despite the government’s repeated claims that it had enough petroleum products on hand, the scarcity has persisted, despite the country’s poor electricity supply.

Only last week, the federal government denied raising the price of gasoline at the pump.

Meanwhile, the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) blamed the country’s persistent fuel scarcity on high vessel costs and insufficient trucks to transport petroleum products from depots to filling stations across the country.

The proposal
Mr. Abejide, who proposed the motion, stated that scarcity persists despite budgetary allocations for subsidy payment. He claimed that the lingering scarcity is causing untold hardship for Nigerians.

He also expressed concern about the potential impact on the prices of goods and services. As a result, he urged NNPC Limited to ensure the importation of enough products to meet demand.

According to the legislator, the scarcity may be related to an increase in the cost of obtaining daughter vessels as well as a drop in product supply.

“Another contributing factor to the product’s scarcity may not be unconnected with the increased cost of hiring daughter vessels in the hike in liter charges, which were previously paid in Naira but are now charged in US Dollars,” he said.

He noted that, despite the products being regulated, scarcity has allowed retail outlets to charge different prices.

“Uneven pump prices are being dispensed by filling stations across the country, fueling speculation that the government may have begun to remove petrol subsidies,” Mr Abejide said.

The House adopted the motion when it was put to a vote by the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, who presided over the plenary.