In a bid to end the fuel crisis and its untold hardship on Nigerians, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has recalled the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), from recess.
The senate president also mandated the committee to immediately convene a meeting with industry stakeholders.
Committee Chairman, Senator Kabiru Marafa, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday.
He said following the directive, the committee has summoned the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru and other relevant stakeholders in the petroleum sector to a crucial meeting on Thursday, January 4, 2018.
Senator Marafa further added that the meeting, which will be held in Senate Hearing Room 2.21 and its proceedings aired live on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), is meant to address causes of the fuel scarcity, with a view to stopping its recurrence.
Senate, which is presently on Christmas and New Year break, is scheduled to resume budget defence on January 9 and commence plenary on January 16.
In Ibadan, Oyo State Government and the state’s office of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed seven filling stations.
Among the filling stations sealed were Kesbash Oil Nigeria Limited, SWORT Oil & Gas, Oduwoye Global Services Ltd, JOSFRAD International Venture, ROYLAB International Venture and BALEY Nigeria Limited.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the filling stations were sealed by a Joint Task Force of DPR, Oyo State Government and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
NAN also reported that the team went round the metropolis to enforce the N145 per litre pump price as well as check hoarding of the product.
DPR Deputy Controller of Oyo state Office, Mr Sadiq Ibrahim, told newsmen that the essence of the monitoring was to check hoarding and hike in pump price.
Ibrahim disclosed that some of the filling stations caught hoarding the product and selling above pump price would be sanctioned.
“Those filling stations caught hoarding the product would be charged for hoarding, while those who sold above pump price would also be sanctioned.
“This is because government has not increased the pump price of petrol. What we have been able to do is to compel those hoarding to sell to the public at the recommended pump price and later seal them,’’ he said.
Special Adviser on Community Relations, Abidemi Shiyanbade, told newsmen that Governor Abiola Ajimobi had directed the constitution of the task force; to resolve the hardship faced by residents in getting the product.
“The governor had directed that the task force check for marketers hoarding the product and those selling it above the pump price.
“What we discovered is that some of them have the product and were not selling, while some sold above the recommenced pump price at night.
“The synergy with DPR is to check their dump and force those who have it to sell at the stipulated pump price to the public.
“We will not stop the exercise until the marketers comply with the regulations. We won’t not allow people take laws into their hands,’’ he said.
Commissioner for Information, Culture and TourismToye Arulogun, as well as Commissioner for Liaison Affairs and Special Duties Fatai Salau, corroborated Shiyanbade’s claim.
The DPR also sealed six filling stations across Gombe State for offences which bordered on selling above the official pump price of N145 as well as hoarding.
One filling station, Tukur Dahiru Mohammed NIgeria Limited was sealed for diverting 26, 000 litres of petrol.
Controller of Operations at the Gombe Field Office, Abdullahi Abawa said the department has embarked on an operation to regulate the activities of fuel dispensation, in order to reduce the hardship faced by commuters because of scarcity.
The controller spoke with journalists on Thursday.
Abawa said it is the responsibility of DPR to regulate activities in the oil business particularly now that there’s the scarcity of fuel across the country.
DPR officials had to force some filling stations to open and directed the sell of products to the public.
He accused oil marketers for the prevailing fuel scarcity as according marketers do not help matters through product diversion as well as selling above pump price.
“The situation is subsisting because oil marketers are not cooperating, difficult and inconsiderate.
“Why would anybody like to inflict hardships on fellow citizens?” he said.
At the AYM filling station located in Yarima Quarters area of Gombe, DPR officials forced the marketer to adjust their pump price from N210 to the official rate of N145.
The officials further directed the manager of the filling station to sell the entire product in storage to the public before sealing the station.
In a chat with Daily Sun, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, state chairman of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) blamed the unavailability of fuel at the loading depots as responsible for the prevailing fuel scarcity.
Ibrahim said as he spoke, over 150 trucks from Gombe are awaiting to uplift products from Lagos.
Most consumers in Gombe commended the DPR for embarking on the operation.
A consumer, Danladi Shehu, who was excited at the chance to fill the tank of his car, expressed gratitude to DPR officials.
“It’s now that we know something is being done to address the biting fuel scarcity. We pray you succeed in your endeavours,” said Shehu.
|Sun
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