- The federal government urged the minister of state for petroleum resources to end the fuel scarcity crises
- Kachikwu assured that there was enough fuel to last Nigerians till January
- The government assured the price of fuel will not be increased
The federal government has given the minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu marching order to make sure the lingering fuel scarcity doesn’t continue beyond the weekend.
The Punch reports this demand was made on Wednesday, December 6 during the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
READ ALSO: I have not resigned from Buhari’s government, I am still performing my duties - Atiku’s daughter
The meeting was presided over by vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo as President Muhammadu Buhari was on a two-day visit to Kano.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed who is the minister of information and culture during a press briefing after the meeting said Kachikwu has been ordered to find a way to end the fuel scarcity.
The minister said Kachikwu assured that there was enough fuel to last Nigerians till the end of January and allayed the fears of Nigerians about whether the government was planning to increase prices of fuel.
He said: “One, the government has no intention at all to increase the pump price of PMS.
“Two, the minister (Kachikwu) assured the council that we have enough products till the next one month even till the end of January.
“Thirdly, this is winter period. There is always more demand for refined products from petroleum during winter period in the colder countries, this is what we are experiencing now.
“The council gave him a matching order that this fuel scarcity should not last beyond this weekend and they are going to work very hard to ensure that it is curtailed. He assured council that there is actually no cause for alarm.”
Meanwhile, as the yuletide season approaches, fuel scarcity has once again hit Nigeria and it's fast spreading across states with no less than 11 states already experiencing it.
Some of the states currently affected by the scarcity are Kano, Lagos, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno, Kwara, Anambra, Delta, Kaduna, and Abuja with the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) selling far above the N145 per litre official benchmark.
Daily Trust reports that the long queues at fuel stations in Kano state have grown even longer as the state prepares to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari for a 2-day working visit.
Price of petrol crashes in Nigeria - on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Naija.ng