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Reps Intervene to End Shortage of Petroleum Products

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has been urged by the House of Representatives to put an end to the country’s fabricated shortage of petroleum products, particularly the premium motor spirit, within the coming week.

Their decision follows Saidu Abdulahi’s motion, which the members unanimously adopted. They claimed that the action further grounded economic activity for no discernible cause.

According to the Green Chamber, millions of Nigerians across are suffering as a result of the fabricated petrol shortage. 

The House was concerned that if things didn’t change, citizens would suffer intolerable hardship throughout the holiday season as prices for goods and services would soar.

“Intelligence reports on current fuel scarcity gathered by our security agencies indicated that there is a deliberate plan by some oil marketers to derail the effort of the government in the distribution of fuel in the country by hoarding the petroleum products, thereby creating artificial scarcity all over the country,” Abdulahi said.

“It is observed with dismay that those who are gaining from this artificial fuel scarcity appear to be smiling home as a result of this ugly development and this has the potency to provoke innocent Nigerians against the government.

“The inability of the regulators of the petroleum sector to end this artificial scarcity of petroleum products forced the Department of State Security Services to issue an ultimatum to the NNPC, and oil marketers to end the artificial scarcity within 48 hours,” the lawmaker added.

Due to the apparent deliberate attempt by some oil marketers to thwart the efforts of the government in the distribution of the goods, the House tasked its committees on Petroleum Resources Downstream and Legislative Compliance to guarantee compliance from the NNPC and other important stakeholders.

The Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission was also urged by the green chamber to cooperate with the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to ensure that the basic good is supplied at the set price and in all retail outlets.

The DSS issued a directive to oil marketers and the NNPC on Thursday to resolve the fuel crisis within 48 hours, claiming that the situation was damaging to the nation’s security amid acute fuel shortages around Nigeria.

However, it remains difficult for car owners, particularly in Lagos and Abuja, to purchase petrol from filling stations. While most stores remain closed, the few that are open sell the essential good for as much as N250 per litre more than the standard price of N169 per litre.

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