NEWS

Civil society frowns over fuel queues, petitions NNPC, Petroleum Minister

Published

3 years ago

February 8, 2022

A civil society group, under the auspices of Concerned Nigerians, has petitioned the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mele Kolo Kyari, over long queues at filling stations, tagged it artificial fuel scarcity.

The group also alleged that the NNPC is in the know of the independent petroleum marketers creating artificial scarcity of petroleum products in the country.

The petition was signed by the National Coordinator, Deji Adeyanju in Abuja on Tuesday.

“As you may already know, in recent months, independent marketers of petroleum products have engaged in speculative acts of hoarding petroleum products, particularly PMS, in a bid to criminally increase the prices, cause artificial scarcity and plunge the country into widespread economic chaos.

“For example, filling stations across the nation’s capital are littered with long queues of vehicles seeking to purchase fuel, while the independent marketers ensure that their filling stations are shut for the day by 6pm.

“What is, however, deeply worrisome is that the regulators have not deemed it necessary to call these independent marketers to order but continue to allow them to take advantage of Nigerians. At a time when Nigerians are going through excruciating pain, artificial fuel scarcity is the last thing they should worry about,” he stated.