- Femi Falana (SAN) blames private distributors for fuel scarcity
- He alleges that the present increase in petroleum products price is an illegal act by independent marketers
- A combined team of the NNPC, DPR and security agents uncover illegal reservoirs of fuel in Abuja
Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the federal government to make use of the police force in monitoring the supply of petroleum products across the nation and ensure immediate arrest and prosecution of offenders.
In a statement titled unending fuel scarcity, Falana stated that this suggestion is proper as government claims that there is enough fuel for all consumers in the country.
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Falana alleged that independent marketers illegally increase the price of fuel against the presidency's assurance that there will be no hike in petroleum prices. Thus, he blames private distributors for the present situation.
He said: “The independent marketers have said that they can no longer import refined fuel and sell at N145 per litre. Convinced that the government lacks the political will to deal with them the marketers have illegally increased the pump price of the product to N300 per litre in several parts of the country.
“The cheap blackmail of the importers ought to be rejected because they were importing the product, selling at N145 per litre and smiling to the banks when a dollar exchanged for over N500 last year.”
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He stated that the minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachukwu and the group managing director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, should apologise to Nigerians for the regular fuel scarcity in the country.
Falana said: “Given the shortage of petrol throughout the country it is indubitably clear that Messrs Kachukwu and Baru deliberately set out to deceive the Nigerian people when they gave the misleading impression that there was enough fuel to cater for all consumers.
“Both highly placed officials have not tendered a public apology for engaging in public deceit.”
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that a combined team of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and security agents on Sunday, December 24, uncovered illegal reservoirs of fuel in Abuja.
Speaking at the site of the mini depot, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, said it was saddening to make such discoveries in the city center when less than 500 meters away, motorists are on endless queues.
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Source: Naija.ng