ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Senate, on Monday, took exceptions to the seemingly endless fuel scarcity across the country, while also issuing summons to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, to appear before it.
The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), which toured filling stations in Abuja and its environs, on Monday, asked the minister, who also doubles as the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to appear before it today, over the endless fuel scarcity.
Acting chairman of the committee, Senator Jibrin Misau, who led his members on the tour of Abuja metropolis, said the committee was unhappy with the findings, adding that members would meet with the minister today, to analyse the situation.
The senator said the situation was pathetic and bad, adding that the persistent fuel scarcity caught the attention of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, who, he said, mandated the committee to move round and find a way of bailing Nigerians out of the crisis.
“This situation is very bad and unacceptable, hence, the need for the minister to appear before us tomorrow (today) and unveil his way out to us.
“Even if he doesn’t have any plan yet, the Senate president and the entire members of the committee are more than ready to rub minds with him for that needed purpose,” he said.
Senate minority whip, Senator Philip Aduda, who is also a member of the committee, asked the Federal Government to arrest the deteriorating situation fast, by making fuel available to Nigerians, adding that “what Nigerians needed is fuel and not blame game.”
The senator further said “the government should look for petrol and ensure that it is given to the people.
“It is unacceptable, we are Nigerians and it will be bad for us to continue remaining in queues. If the APC leaders like, let them blame themselves, that is their problem, but the most important thing is for us to have fuel in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Managers of petrol stations visited by the senators lamented lack of supply and inadequate supply of petroleum products by the NNPC, resulting in what they called product scarcity across the country.
Manager of Forte Oil, opposite Transcorp Hilton in Maitama District, told the committee that his station had been receiving only three fuel tankers daily instead of five or six it used to get daily.
Manager of Oando filling station in Zone 4, Isa Friday, also told the committee that his station had not received supply from the NNPC depot in Suleja for a long time now.
Credit: Tribune (Nigeria)
