The Senate yesterday summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe
Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation
(NNPC), Maikanti Baru, and other industry stakeholders over the
ongoing fuel scarcity.
They are to appear before its committee on petroleum resources
(downstream) on January 4, 2018 in a meeting that would be aired live on
national television.
This is not the first time the chamber has invited Baru on the issue. He
failed to show up for a December 5 meeting. “We decided to invite the GMD to
come and brief on the development and enable Nigerians know the situation of
things. Unfortunately, Baru informed us of his inability to honour the
invitation,” committee chairman, Kabiru Marafa, had said.
The latest summons means the Senate would cut short its recess to
deliberate on the challenge. The National Assembly is currently observing the
Christmas and New Year break and is billed to resume committee work for budget
defence on January 9, while plenary commences January 16.
Still on the elusive Prime Motor Spirit, Kachikwu has asked the public to
disregard reports suggesting he wrote a memo to President Buhari on the
situation.
He described the supposed memo and its content as false, promising his
ministry would flood the market with products and prevent any attempt at
sabotage.
A statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Idang Alibi, notes: “Our
attention has been drawn to a message making the rounds on social media of a
purported memo by the Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr.
Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, to the President on the crisis. This is not a time for
diversionary issues, as the petroleum sector is dealing with a serious national
matter. We are focused on collaboratively finding an urgent solution to this
crisis.”
The ministry will continue to monitor the situation and work with the
NNPC and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to solve the problem and
penalise saboteurs, the statement adds.
Kachikwu also urged Nigerians to stay calm, saying the NNPC was doing
everything possible to end the shortage.
Meanwhile, Kano residents have been regretting their loss of productive
hours, as the scarcity enters a third week.
Thousands have been forced to spend nights on queues at fuel stations
amid accusations that independent marketers and the DPR are to blame for the
situation.
A statement by NNPC had alleged the Independent Petroleum Marketers
Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) diverted 144 trucks in the state. IPMAN,
however, denied this, challenging the corporation to prove its claims.
Efforts to speak with IPMAN chairman in Kano, Alhaji Bashir Dan Mallam,
were unsuccessful, as he neither responded to telephone calls nor to text
messages.
Kano DPR officials, Buba Abubakar and M. Yau, also did not respond to
inquiries.
Stations along Murtala Mohammad, Zoo, Ibrahim Taiwo, BUK and Zaria Roads
yesterday were closed, with many vehicles queuing up in the hope the pumps may
flow. The NNPC mega station along Hotoro, however, sold fuel.
While stations were shut, street vendors had limitless supply, selling
four litres for N1,500 – N1,800.
One motorist, Usman Ahmad, told The Guardian at Total filing station, Zoo
Road: “As you can see, my car has been on the line since Monday in the hope
that fuel will be sold anytime. But from what we are hearing, I don’t think the
situation will improve. I learnt the marketers are not ready to sell.”
Another, Aminu Umar, a commercial driver, said: “There is fuel in some of
the stations but they have refused to sell. Some filling stations in Sharada
start selling at 10:00 a.m. and close at 3:00 p.m. If they have fuel and it is
for sale why can’t they just sell it all day?”
Obina Ike, a commercial bus operator, urged the Federal Government to
deploy more effort to check the situation, even as he alleged the DPR in Kano
has been compromised.
“Government can change the situation if they actually want. We have seen
many petrol stations being closed down for engaging in sharp practices in Abuja
and Lagos. Are you saying all the marketers in Kano are sincere? Let DPR do its
job. We hear they even collect bribes from these big oil people,” Ike said.
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