The Return Of Long Fuel Queues

One promise President Goodluck Jonathan made to Nigerians last year during his independence day anniversary speech was the total eradication of fuel scarcity and long queues at filling stations. But just like many other failed promises that the president has made, Nigerians are once again faced with their familiar nightmare- fuel scarcity.

It started last week in some parts of the country. Now, motorists in all parts of the country are queuing for fuel. Most filling stations in Lagos and other parts of the country have closed their stations since they don’t have the commodity. The few stations that sell the product do so at very expensive price. In the Festac Area, Oshodi, Ojuelegba, Abule Egba, and Ikotun areas of the state,  touts are already selling the product in gallons at almost twice the pump price. A litre of fuel  currently goes for N120 in some areas.

Unlike in the past when the immediate reasons for fuel scarcity was often known, no one appears to know the cause of the current scarcity.  The relevant agencies have simply refused to tell Nigerians why they must struggle hard  to get one of the products that nature has blessed this country with. Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, placed the blame at the doorstep of government, saying that they have not been paid their outstanding subsidy claims totalling about N120 billion for the third and fourth quarters of 2013. According to the oil marketers, this has made it impossible for them to replenish their stock.

The oil marketers claim that they currently have just 45,000 metric tons which is about 60 million litres of fuel left in their storage facilities.

On its part, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, blamed the resurgence of scarcity on security operatives’ delay of the cargo ship awaiting clearance on the high sea. The association’s President, Abdulkadir Aminu said there would be continued disruption in discharge and loading at various depots until the relevant authorities speed up the clearance process.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, put the  blame on multinationals, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, saying that the continuous importation of petroleum products in the country, contrary to the advice by the labour union that government revamp the refineries, was the reason for the scarcity.

NNPC, however, says the scarcity is an artificial one. It said that most of the product is being hoarded by unscrupulous marketers.

From the tales from these agencies, it is obvious that someone is trying to deceive Nigerians and make them suffer. Why should all the agencies that should know what is happening, choose to pass the buck or tell barefaced lies at the expense of the suffering masses?

Nigerians demand explanation and immediate solution to this problem. The people have suffered too much because of the ineptitude and corruption in the petroleum industry.  Matters have been made worse by an uncaring and unresponsive government. Members of the National Assembly should step into the situation before it gets out of hand.