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Tag: Fuel Scarcity

  • NNPC staff cancel Christmas holiday to clear fuel scarcity saga

    Staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), have cancelled their Christmas holiday, in a bid to ensure the lingering fuel scarcity is curtailed.

    This was revealed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad.

    He also disclosed that Buhari was meeting with the General Manager of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, over the matter.

    NNPC in a press statement, said it has intensified efforts to flood the market with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, and other products.

    A statement on Saturday by its spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, said already, six major marketers: Total, Forte Oil, Oando Plc, MRS, 11 Plc and Nipco Plc, are now loading products round the clock from their various depots in Lagos for onward trucking to all parts of the Country.

  • Fuel scarcity: Go on your knees, beg God to save Nigeria from APC – Secondus tells Nigerians

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus on Saturday in a special Christmas message advised Nigerians to use the yuletide to beg God to save the country from the ‘misrule’ of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) especially as the current fuel scarcity bites harder than expected.

    Secondus noted that the hardship Nigerians are going through in the last 30 months of the APC administration shows clearly that it was a mistake voting them in.

    He said, “The fact that Nigerians cannot see fuel to travel home to see their loved ones during this Christmas even after fuel prize jumped from N87 per liter under PDP administration to N145 under APC shows clearly that they have nothing to offer.

    “As Christmas is the marking of the coming of the messiah by christendom, this is the best time to seek God’s intervention to send a leader who would save this country as APC administration has failed the people woefully.”

    Secondus said that never in the history of Nigeria has there been this level of disaffection among the people with the government clearly unable to offer solution.

    He said, “This Yuletide time is therefore ripe for Nigerians to bury their political, ethnic and religious differences and go on their knees to ask God to save this country from the hands of the APC misrule and clear lack of direction.

    “This is the third Christmas Nigerians are marking under the APC government and the indignation in their faces across board shows it all that the people are sad and disappointed.”

    Notwithstanding the alleged frustrations, the PDP chairman admonished all Nigerians to use the Christmas period to reflect deeply on the future of democracy in this country and try and use this season to show love to one another and build on those things that unite than divide the country.

     

  • Nigerians groan, lambast Buhari-led govt over #Fuelscarcity

    Nigerians have berated President Muhammadu Buhari over the recent fuel scarcity in the country.

    In several tweets, many of them berated him for keeping mute over the situation while others called for his resignation.

    They noted that the country has experienced series of #fuelscarcity since the advent of the current administration.

  • Fayose calls for Buhari’s resignation over fuel scarcity

    Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to resign over the “nonchalant attitude” of the Federal Government towards ending the fuel scarcity being experienced across the country.

    The governor said it was unfortunate that the fuel scarcity was biting harder under the watch of the president as the Minister of Petroleum.

    He maintained that the All Progressives Congress-led federal government was punishing Nigerians with fuel scarcity so as to achieve its planned raise of petrol pump price from N145 to not less than N185 per litre.

    The governor stated these in a press release issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.

    In Ado Ekiti, there were long queues in Bovas filling stations in Adebayo and Bank roads as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation mega station on Iworoko Road.

    Our correspondent observed that the long queue led to traffic gridlock on the ever busy Adebayo road.

    Fayose said, “Already, fuel is being sold officially at between N180 and N200 at petrol stations across the country.

    “It is sad that this Buhari’s APC government had to choose this Christmas and New Year period to ground Nigeria with the fuel scarcity that it deliberately orchestrated.

    “It is obvious that the president has failed in all ramifications and he needs to do Nigerians a favour by relinquishing the portfolio of minister of petroleum.”

    “Like I said a few days ago, what the federal government is doing is to create scarcity so that Nigerians will be willing to buy at any price, provided the product is made available.

    “It was to achieve this planned increment of petrol pump price that they restricted supply of petrol to NNPC alone.”

     

    The governor, who sympathised with Nigerians for the hardship said that the only option to rescue Nigeria now “from being brought down completely is to vote out Buhari and his APC in 2019.”

  • Blame Buhari, Kachikwu for lingering fuel scarcity — PDP tells Nigerians

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday blamed President Muhammadu Buhari who also doubles as Minister of Petroleum Resources and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu for the recurring fuel crisis currently experienced in the country.

    The opposition party in a statement on Friday signed by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, said Nigerians are languishing under the president’s rule because the scarcity has led to increase in transport fare, household costs, prices of food, medicines and other basic needs of the people.

    In the statement, the party said, ”it is not enough for the President to sit in his comfort zone and put the blame of the fuel scarcity at the doorsteps of marketers.”

    “The unbearable fuel situation in the country is completely unacceptable. Mr. President must become up and doing. He should not allow anybody to push him to claim that the issue of fuel scarcity is not under the purview of the Minister of Petroleum Resources. When he took office as President of Nigeria and also as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, he was aware that the buck stops at his table.

    “Nigerians must not be made to suffer especially at this time of the year when we have the Yuletide and New Year festivities, which come with a lot of activities.

    “This is the same APC government that promised that it will make fuel available and affordable. Today, under their deceitful and corrupt watch, fuel has not only become extremely scarce, the price has also risen from where the PDP left it at N86.50k per liter to as high as N300 per liter and above.”

    The party said the time for the president to act was now rather than buck trading adding that the president had failed Nigerians.

    “But should Nigerians be subjected to this type of anguish and pain after supporting APC to win election in 2015? Does APC indeed deserve another support in 2019?”

    “Whereas we know that the time is already up for the APC, we nevertheless urge Mr. President to, within the remaining short time, rise up to his responsibilities as the minister of petroleum or immediately relinquish that position and allow a competent person to run the ministry. Enough is enough”, the party said.

    The statement urged Nigerians not to despair but rekindle their hope in the future as the PDP is now repositioned to regain power in 2019 and return the nation to the path of good governance, social stability and economic growth, ”for which it is generally known.”

  • Fuel Scarcity: Succour as PENGASSAN suspends planned strike

    Fuel Scarcity: Succour as PENGASSAN suspends planned strike

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has suspended its planned nationwide strike scheduled to commence today.

    The decision to suspend the strike comes on the heels of the intervention of the Director of the State Security Service, SSS, Lawan Daura, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.

    PENGASSAN had earlier alleged anti-labour practices against some of its members by some indigenous oil companies, one of which it identified as Neconde Energy Limited.

     

    The strike action scheduled to formally commence after 11:59 p.m. today followed the group’s peace meeting last week with Mr. Kachikwu, which ended in a deadlock.

    Prior to the meeting, the oil workers had issued a 72-hour ultimatum to government to intervene over allegations of anti-workers’ practices perpetrated against some of its members working in Neconde Energy Limited.

    The umbrella body of senior workers in the oil and gas industry had accused the management of Neconde Energy Limited of wrongful termination of the employment of some of its workers who belong to PENGASSAN.

    However, despite shelving the strike, a close monitoring by TheNewsGuru.com showed that the scarcity is biting harder on Nigerians as most filling stations are either out of stock, not selling or overburdened with queues from customers who are in a haste to get their tanks filled.

     

    Details later…

  • Fuel scarcity: Security, NNPC team discover 144 trucks in Kano

    Fuel scarcity: Security, NNPC team discover 144 trucks in Kano

    Security agents and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) monitoring team have discovered 144 trucks of petrol not streamed by some marketers in Kano.

    The NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ughamadu, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

    Ughamadu stated that the team was set up to rapidly end petroleum products supply gaps in parts of the country.

    He noted that the hoarded products were meant to feed Kano and its environs.

    He added that “sequel to the discovery, resurfaced trucks have been sent to discharge their products at designated locations.

    ”Of the 144 trucks discovered, 26 were for Katsina, while 118 trucks were to discharge their products in Kano and its environs.

    ‘”NNPC warns marketers across the country to desist from acts that may heighten supply gaps noticeable in some remaining parts of the country.

    “Security agencies have been detailed to go on the trail of any marketer who may be hoarding products.”

    The spokesman added that the corporation’s monitoring team had also affirmed, after combing Abuja, that fuel queues had disappeared in the Federal Capital City.

     

    NAN

  • Fuel scarcity ends in 48 hours, Kachikwu assures Nigerians again

    Fuel scarcity ends in 48 hours, Kachikwu assures Nigerians again

    The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, has assured Nigerians that the ongoing fuel scarcity will end in 48 hours.

    Kachikwu gave the assurance on Thursday while briefing members of the National Economic Council, NEC, comprising the governors and some ministers.

    The NEC is chaired by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who also chaired the 83rd meeting of the council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obasaki, said, “The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources assured council that within the next 48hours fuel supply will be restored nationwide because there is enough fuel in our strategic reserves and the ministry has released fuel from these reserves and it expects distribution will reach all parts of the country within the next 48hours.”

    Recall that the Minister had earlier assured the Federal Executive Council, FEC, last week Wednesday that the crisis would be over by last weekend.

    However, checks by TheNewsGuru.com around major metropolis proved other wise as the scarcity of bites harder on Nigerians.

    Mr. Obaseki also announced that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who also briefed the NEC, informed them that in order to have an alliance with states, his office has decided to organise a retreat for Secretaries to State Governments, SSGs.

    He said the retreat will hold from the December 18 to 19.

    “The SGF implored all governors to ensure that all SSGs attend this retreat,” he said.

    Mr. Obaseki had also earlier announced that the NEC resolved through the chairman of the governors forum, Abdulaziz Yari, to support the efforts of the Federal Government in the area of security.

    He said governors are “pleased with the achievements that have been made till date in the fight against insurgency particularly in the North-east.”

    “The governors have given permission to the federal government to spend the sum of $1billion dollars in the fight against insurgency,” he said.

     

  • Fuel Scarcity: NASS cautions security personnel against shunting at filling stations

    The National Assembly on Friday said security personnel were compounding the hardship being faced by motorists in getting petrol in the prevailing scarcity of the product across the country.

    The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) made the allegation during the committee’s inspection tour of filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory.

    The chairman of the joint committee, Kabiru Marafa, urged heads of security agencies, including the military, to caution their personnel against shunting and aiding illegalities in filling stations in the territory.

    Mr. Marafa said as organisations that held discipline in high esteem, it was disturbing to find that security agents were contributing to the problems associated with the current fuel problems in parts of the country.

    ”I have told NNPC management to write all the security chiefs on the activities of their men.

    ”The military as we know is the highest responsible organisation. Everybody respects the military.

    “So, I am appealing to military and para-military agencies to call their men to order because what we saw today is unpleasant and not good for their image.

    ”They could have their filling stations for supplies because the idea of going to the filling stations to obstruct traffic and to cause long queues is not good at all.

    ”The ones we met and talked to respected themselves and left but that is not to say they will not come back when we leave.

    ”Unfortunately, with this development, even the civilians take a cue from them and further contribute to the obstruction,” he said.

    The lawmaker said that there was ordinarily no cause for the present situation, and urged all Nigerians irrespective of position to contribute their quota towards finding solution to the artificial scarcity.

    ”The President has given instructions that the NNPC should ensure adequate supply, but it is one thing to give instruction.

    ”If there are problems associated with either the supply, distribution or dispensing, there will still be problems.

    ”Since we started oversight, we have turned into a task force, controlling traffic, among others.

    ”The causative factors for the current situation boil down to indiscipline and selfishness which is summed up to corruption.

    ”The rumour by just a few about planned increase in the pump price of petroleum products in the country is what has led to the current situation.

    ”It is glaring that the information that led to this present situation is the handiwork of enemies of government and the people,” he said.

    The lawmaker further said that another problem was hoarding by marketers “just to maximise profit’’. Even some of the filling stations with large storage facilities hoard the commodity he added.

    ”Interestingly, Nigeria is a very religious country with the two major religions preaching love. But, here we are, with everybody trying to take advantage of the other person, yet we blame government.

    ”From our assessment, most of the filling stations have enough fuel but it takes so long for motorists to get into the stations because of those shunting.”

    Mr. Marafa assured Nigerians that information available to the committee from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) indicated that that more supplies would be made across the country.

    According to him, about 160 trucks service Abuja on a good day but because of the current situation, 227 trucks will be entering Abuja now.

    He added that daily consumption of fuel across the country was in the range of 40 million litres.

    ”I have on good authority from NNPC that we have over a billion litres of the commodity in our strategic reserve that should last the country for about 18 days.

    ”Also, we have been told that 21 vessels will be arriving before the end of the year and one vessel has 50 million litres capacity,” he said.

    The chairman assured Nigerians that the committee would continue to interface with relevant stakeholders in ensuring that the situation eased off in few days.

    He also assured that the committee would continue its oversight of filling stations to check some sharp practices that had led to the hardship.

  • Fuel scarcity: More worries as PENGASSAN threatens nationwide strike

    Fuel scarcity: More worries as PENGASSAN threatens nationwide strike

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to address injustice and lawlessness in the oil and gas sector companies or face a nationwide strike from December 18.

    The General Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Mr Lumumba Okugbawa, gave the ultimatum in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

    Okugbawa said this was imperative in order to address anti-labour issues and lawlessness by some indigenous oil and gas companies and marginal field operators by relevant agencies of government.

    He said if this was not addressed properly, it would culminate in the shutting down of all oil and gas installations, including disruptions to fuel supply and distribution across the country.

    The unionist said the anti-labour practice includes the termination of employment of any worker who indicated the willingness to belong to the union.

    “Those that are threatened and compelled to disown the union are then treated as slave workers within their own country.

    “The case of Neconde Energy Ltd (of Nestoil Group of companies) is particularly worrisome as the issue of dignity in labour and infringement on workers’ rights to Freedom of Association is foreign to them.

    “This has led to the mass sack of workers that joined the union and dehumanisation of some in total disregard to rule of engagement and the laws of the land.

    “The actions of companies such as Neconde in the mass sack of Nigerian workers contribute in no small measure to the unending militancy in the Niger Delta.’’

    He said Neconde had not only conducted itself as being above the provisions of extant laws and regulations guiding the operations of oil and gas companies in Nigeria, but also boasted that no government agency would call it to order.

    “Having explored all options without getting the necessary understanding, and an apparent failure of relevant authorities of government to call to order these recalcitrant organisations especially Neconde, we are giving the Federal Government and its relevant agencies seven-days’ notice to embark on nationwide strike effective Dec. 18.

    “If the government fails to direct the management of Neconde and other companies to recall our sacked members, as the only option to address this injustice and lawlessness.

    “PENGASSAN appeals to all Nigerians to show understanding and to use this window to stockpile adequate quantity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and other petroleum products that will last them during the period as this strike will be indefinite.”