The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have claimed that the current fuel scarcity in Nigeria is caused by Downstream retail companies “hiking the price far above the government-approved threshold”.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the trade unions urging FG to end the issues.
They warned that non-state actors should not have the capacity to influence a needed energy need.
No excuse good enough: The Presidents of NLC and TUC Mr Ayuba Wabba and Mr Festus Osifo said there is no reason good enough to explain the fuel scarcity Nigerians are dealing with.
They expressed shock at the persistent shortage and uncontrollable prices that players in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry were meting out to Nigerians.
- ”No excuse is good enough to cripple the country. If there are challenges, they should be fixed. We have a government in power to fix challenges not to make excuses,’’ they said.
The economic consequences: They added the persistent shortages of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, have tragic consequences for the Nigerian people and debilitating effects on the health of the economy which itself is not in a good state.
- “We are reliably informed that the shortage is deliberately fostered by players in the downstream sector in other to hike the price far above the government-approved threshold.
- “It is an added problem when non-state actors begin to arrogate to themselves the power to determine the price of a litre of fuel far above the rate pegged by government in the current subsidy regime.”
They also revealed that the Nigerian people and the taxpayers currently spend trillions of Naira annually to subsidise petrol citing the same people could not be exploited and made to pay over N240 per litre when the current ex-depot price was N148.19k per litre, warning the benefits of the subsidy regime are gradually been eroded.
If you missed it: Nairametrics reported earlier that NNPC revealed the reasons got the queues. According to the company, “the recent queues in Lagos are largely due to ongoing road infrastructure projects around Apapa and access road challenges in some parts of Lagos depots.”
The NNPC, however, noted that the gridlock is easing as the NNPC has programmed vessels and trucks to unconstrained depots, with massive load outs from depots to various states being closely monitored.