Reps Urge Customs To Lift Ban On Fuel Supply To Border Towns

The House of Representatives yesterday called on the Nigeria Customs Service to lift the ban on the delivery of petroleum products to filling stations located 20 kilometres from land borders. This followed the adoption of a motion by Sada Soli Jibiya (APC, Katsina) who cited negative effects of the ban on people living in the areas. Jibiya said the directive had brought more hardships to Nigerians living in the border communities. According to him, the directive also contradicts the laws establishing the Nigeria Customs Service. He said: “The directive is tantamount to the Nigeria Customs Service exercising powers that violate the provisions of the Customs and Exercise Act as amended”. Jibiya, whose constituency is located along the border between Nigeria and Niger, said the directive “will no doubt increase the suffering of Nigerians living in the border areas who are already feeling the impact of the border closure more than the rest of the country”, He also expressed concern that, “no alternative provision has been made to cater for the needs of the border communities, knowing fully how dependent the Nigerian economy is on petroleum products”. According to him, the Department of Petroleum Resources, whose statutory duty is to regulate supply of petroleum, is yet to make any statement or clarification on the issue.