FG silent as Nigerians Groan under Fuel Crisis, Gridlock

The out-going President Goodluck Jonathan’s Federal Government has maintained deafening silence as Nigerians continue to groan under the burden of the current fuel scarcity with the attendant intractable queues at fuel stations and devastating gridlock in major cities especially Lagos.

Almost a month now, Nigerians have had to spend productive man-hours in filing stations in an unending scramble for a product that should ordinarily be available at reasonable prices, their country being the eighth largest exporter of crude, and a strong member of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a global cartel, where Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s petroleum minister is the current president.

For about two decades now, four Nigerian refineries located in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt had been left in ruins- unable to refine crude for local consumption, leading to the country depending more on imported fuel to run her economy. In the face of this, electricity supply remains a disappointment, forcing the citizens to rely almost 100 percent on fuel not only to run their cars, but also to operate their generators at homes and offices. In spite of this heavy dependent on fuel, the Federal Government tango with petroleum marketers has been unable to find a lasting solution to the perennial scarcity.

Notwithstanding the purported payment of about N156 billion to the marketers by the government, the situation appears to be worsening by the day, raising fears that it could linger for weeks.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, minister of finance, said last week that, the N156 billion represented the remaining tranche of the N256.2 billion debt owed the marketers in oil subsidy claims. But there have been disagreements as the marketers claimed N200 billion was still outstanding.

In Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial city, where the imported products are berthed and discharged before distribution to other states, worsening fuel situation coupled with desperation by consumers has resulted in petrol being sold at between N150 and N200 per litre at some filing stations.

As the doubling and tripling of the official pump price (N87) of the product persists, Nigerians are questioning the role and relevance of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the supposed regulatory agency of the downstream sector of the petroleum.

Among the filling stations dispensing to motorists at between N150 and N200 per litre daring the so-called DPR as captured by our correspondent who monitored the situation in Lagos are ASS Oil, opposite Ojo Military Barracks; RainOil close to Mechanic bus stop on Lagos-Badagry Expressway; KKN Oil & Gas at Alakija, along Old Ojo Road; Lots at Volkswagen bus stop, among others. Also dispensing at N120 per litre is ConOil, Agbara, Ogun State.